We’re back for our 5th season, and starting us off is an incredible conversation with Loribelle Spirovski.

Loribelle is a Filipina-Australian artist who, after almost giving up her art career due to a persistent nerve injury, intuitively taught herself to finger paint. What began as an act of perseverance became a technique that liberated her as an artist, ultimately leading to her winning the 2025 Archibald People’s Choice Award.

In this episode, we unpack the romanticism of the ‘damaged artist’ archetype and why safety, not struggle, is where the best work comes from. Plus, we wrestle with the questions artists quietly carry: Does the best work come from suffering? What actually makes art good or bad? Can you fake authenticity? And do creative ideas ever really run out?

For anyone trying to build a sustainable creative practice without burning themselves out along the way, this episode is a reminder that safety might be the key to your best work.

You can find Loribelle’s website here and her Instagram here.

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