The demand for content v. the pace of our process, the ever-changing algorithm, and questions about if growth on Instagram is even possible anymore-- I think these topics are on all of our minds right now. And I know so many of us are asking if investing our time into social media even worth it. In this deep dive episode I share my thoughts on the topic, how I'm dealing with Instagram in its current "climate," and the tips and perspectives that've been helpful to me. If nothing else- I hope you feel validated and less alone knowing that we're all wrestling with these issues!

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This is an extra special episode for me because working with Pennylane Shen over the past year has been a game changer for my art practice. Pennylane is an artist consultant, and she’s really one of the good ones out there providing support to artists who want to strengthen their work, develop their business, write their artist statement and much more. I loved getting to steal her for an hour to ask everything I’ve been wanting to and highlight the knowledge that she’s imparted to me in our sessions together.

We talked about…

-- The two overarching factors that make for strong artwork and how to know if you’re hitting the marks

--Navigating experimentation and incorporating just the right dose of it

-- Why you need to bulk up the “meat and potatoes” of your work and ways to bring meaning and substance to the forefront of what you make

-- The things to become aware of in your own self (or continued!) art education

-- Determining which way of selling your work is right for you: self-representation v. working with a gallery

Pennylane Shen is an artist consultant, curator and educator. Since 2006, her company Dazed and Confucius has offered personalized consultations, group workshops and business development with regular seminars held worldwide. Artist consultants Pennylane and David advise over 1000 artists each year. With a variety of services catered to the fine artist, Dazed and Confucius has quickly become the "one-stop shop" for artists navigating the fine art industry.

Pennylane holds a Master’s Degree in Visual Culture Theory from New York University and has lectured at various forums throughout Canada, the US and the UK. Her teaching experience includes Langara College and the NYC Crit Club. For more than a decade, Pennylane has worked in commercial galleries such as the Bau-Xi Gallery, the longest standing commercial gallery in Canada. In her hometown of Vancouver, BC Pennylane has curated for the Vancouver Mural Festival. An avid supporter of art and wellness, she sits on the board for the Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Foundation, collecting notable art pieces for hospital walls.

FOLLOW PENNYLANE

www.dazedandconfucius.com/

IG: @dazed.and.confucius

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To get started with the Frame It Easy App and claim $100 off sample frames head to frameiteasy.com/artmagic

As working artists and/or aspiring ones, we tend to have a lot of questions about how people have made this gig sustainable, and what their path has looked like.  In this episode, Gracelee Lawrence provides a lot of those answers by giving us a generous look into her own behind-the-scenes. Not to mention, some very rich commentary on gatekeeping in the art world, commercialization, accessibility, creative community, committing to your art practice and much more (I could’ve listened to her for hours!).

We talked about...

FOLLOW GRACELEE

www.graceleelawrence.com

IG: @gleeleelawlee

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Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Send it in to  [email protected] to have it discussed on a future episode (be sure to let me know if you’d like a shoutout or not!).

If you’ve felt the need to overproduce work (particularly by Instagram), work at an unnatural pace or race to improve,  this episode will be salve for your studio practice. This conversation with Soleé felt just like two artists chatting over tea, because it was so honest and soothing. We unpacked dilemmas around scheduling studio time, being self-taught, chasing after a “career” (and what that even means), confronting imposter syndrome and much more. My favorite was the wisdom Soleé radiates when it comes to being in integrity with her creative energy. I think you’ll find it to be contagious.

We talked about….

Bio

Soleé Darrell is a   born multidisciplinary artist who is based in Oakland, CA. Her work is purely intuition-driven. She explores the experience and depth of being a human in this world while connecting with other worlds through practice and meditation. Each stroke encompasses color, vulnerability, passion, texture, and complete faith in the universe. She uses layers of mixed media to symbolize the healing of wounds and maps the unknown paths we take in life. She is forever fascinated with the idea of things we can never know about our existence, and the self inflicted suffering that human beings can endure through generations of trying to figure it out. Her hope is to bring some optimism to the viewer and bridge the gap between the intuitive world and the physical world.

FOLLOW SOLEE

soleedarrell.art

IG: @soleedarrell

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Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Send it in to  [email protected] to have it discussed on a future episode (be sure to let me know if you’d like a shoutout or not!).

Feel daunted by the commitment, consistency and delayed gratification required to create a series? I think that's very common. And I'm in the thick of it myself! Which is why I wanted to talk about why creating a body of work is so important for your artistic growth (and smart for your career), as well as the 7 things I've found to be most helpful within the process. This is a fun topic because, the truth is, a lot of depth and reward comes from investing our energy into projects that are more demanding and long term, but with that, comes more to consider--there's much to discuss!

This is episode is a preview of May's Patreon exclusive bonus episode. I wanted to give you a little taste of you can expect each month when you sign up.

To listen to the full episode, and unlock other artsy bonus content, head over to patreon.com/devonwalz

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Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Send it in to  [email protected] to have it discussed on a future episode (be sure to let me know if you’d like a shoutout or not!).

If your inner critic has been extra loud or you've been feeling disconnected from who you are as an artist and what you're making, this deep dive is for you. I unpack  all things self-doubt, why artists are so susceptible to and what I've found to be most helpful when navigating it. Even if you feel okay in the inner critic department, there's some good discussion here about knowing your artistic values and how you can reconnect with your work.

There's a PDF guide to go with this episode, too! I've taken all the notes for you. Get it at www.devonwalz.com/resources

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If you don’t already know Lauren Hana Chai, I’m honored to be the one to introduce you to her because her work is brilliant. I had a ton of fun connecting with her and we hit on a lot of ground in this conversation: the ins and outs of how she’s arrived at the work she’s making now, all about her show last year at Thinkspace (from making the connection to the prep itself), how she manages her income streams and mayyybe even the story behind the DMT trip that influenced her recent work.

We talked about….

-- transitioning themes in the work

-- how Lauren connected with Thinkspace and approaches email outreach

-- Lauren’s DMT experience and how its influenced her work

BIO

FOLLOW LAUREN

laurenhanachai.com

IG: @laurenhanachai

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Season 3 is finally here! And we’re kicking things off with one of the most transparent episodes I’ve aired yet (Really though. This one’s on the vulnerable side for me.).

My good friend Amanda Sandlin joins me in co-hosting a conversation about the big “artist myths” that’ve haunted her and I over the years. Amanda has been such a supportive, bright light for me these past months (not to mention a brilliant painter and writer) and I wanted to let you be a fly on the wall to what we’ve really been talking about. If you’ve been feeling extra self-critical or have caught the comparison bug, I think this conversation will feel like one giant exhale.

-- ALL the thoughts on artist statements

-- Real talk on being full-time, having other part time work and selling (or not selling) out your collections

-- and seriously...SO much more.

NOTES

www.amandasandlin.com

IG: @amandasandlin

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I can’t believe we’re even here right now. So I thought I’d honor the moment by divulging the details of my art life from this past year. It’s a bit vulnerable to share what I’ve been doing in real-time, but I think there’s some good lessons here.

In this episode I share what happened, what I’m celebrating, what I would’ve done differently in 2020 and the takeaways I’m carrying into 2021. And I’m answering some fun questions you sent in along the way (re: selling online v. with galleries, my dream podcast co-host and more!).

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How do we break away from our influences? How do we come up with something totally original out of thin air? Hasn’t everything already been done? All valid questions that I had a ton of fun answering on today's q + a all about style development.

I discuss the concept of “originality," as well as the four main reasons artists have a hard time cultivating their own style and practical things you can do now to develop a style that has substance.

Shoutout to Hannah of @hannah.andersson.art for today’s question

______

NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT

Unique: a 4-week style development workshop series

Learn more and register: www.devonwalz.com/unique

Enrollment closes  10/30/20 at midnight PST

MENTIONS

Henry Green

_________

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