Extraordinary Creatives

By Ceri HandSociety & Culture Arts Leisure Personal Journals Visual Arts Design

Extraordinary Creatives episodes

October 29How Your Creative Obsessions Can Help You Find Your People
I want you to think about somebody whose opinion of your work really matters to you.
Perhaps it's a curator you've admired for years, an artist whose practice you find fascinating, a gallery director you'd love to work with or somebody who has introduced you to extraordinary art.
Now imagine you have the opportunity to spend an hour with them.
What would you actually want to talk about?
I ask because I think artists can spend an enormous amount of time pursuing opportunities without always considering whether they're connecting with the right people.
And having spent much of my working life selecting exhibitions, working with artists, and making decisions about which projects to support, I know how much our individual interests shape those decisions.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've been exploring how we develop our own artistic point of view: first looking at when research becomes art, and last week inviting you to choose ten artworks that make you feel glad to be alive and consider what those encounters might reveal about the kind of work you want to make.
Today, I want to explore how that understanding can help you find people who genuinely connect with your work, and how you might build relationships that are creatively rewarding for both of you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Spend a little time thinking about the person who's going to be looking at your application. What are they interested in? What kinds of questions seem to preoccupy them? And what makes you think your work might lead to an interesting conversation with them?

Instead of trying to perform or network awkwardly at exhibition openings, start with the work by visiting things you are genuinely curious about and asking questions you actually want answered.

Build a constellation of people around your practice, over time. People who understand different aspects of your work, challenge you, and share your genuine curiosity.
BEST MOMENTS
“Selectors aren't neutral. We bring our histories, interests, experiences, relationships, and personal associations into every encounter with an artwork.”
“Some of the most rewarding creative relationships I've had have been with artists whose work has challenged my assumptions or introduced me to something completely unexpected.”
“If you do decide to approach somebody about your own work, you'll be able to explain why you're interested in connecting with them. You'll have a reason that's grounded in something you genuinely share, rather than a generic message that could have been sent to absolutely anybody.”
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
18 min
October 26 Who Gets Remembered in Art and Why? with Alona Pardo, Director of The Arts Council Collection
Some of the decisions that shape art history never make it into the official record. They happen in conversations, through relationships, and because somebody is prepared to champion an artist before the market or the wider art world has decided they matter.
My guest today is Alona Pardo, Director of the Arts Council Collection and a Turner Prize jury member. Before taking responsibility for this extraordinary national collection of more than 8,500 works, she spent thirteen years at the Barbican, curating major exhibitions including Masculinities, RE/SISTERS, and Dorothea Lange’s The Politics of Seeing.
We talk about how artworks actually enter public collections, why archives can be unreliable witnesses, what happens to a work after it’s acquired, and Alona’s ambitious plans to bring the Arts Council Collection together in Coventry.
At the end Alona also reveals the secret hope she has for what she might achieve during her tenure. I for one would like to see it happen.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Public collections are living archives. They bring historical works back into cultural discourse through the lens of today, helping us think and feel our way through the complexities of our time.
Official archives can be unreliable witnesses. They depend on what was deemed important enough to record at the time, so part of the narrative always gets left out.
Informal conversations, negotiations, and backstage advocacy are all critical to shaping art history.
True curatorial practice avoids a singular authorial voice, actively inviting challenge and collaboration from artists, writers, and scholars to expand and deepen how stories are told.
Encountering structuralists and French feminism at university empowered and galvanised Alona. It shaped a lot of what she studied, her purpose and the direction of her career.
BEST MOMENTS
“The best works that I've ever encountered are works that kind of hit you in the stomach and really, really live with you and stay with you.”
“What I was most interested in is when you put two artworks together, how they begin to feed off each other… how they begin to expand the conversation.”
“For artists, that’s a useful reminder to keep thinking about the stories and ideas surrounding your work, and to keep giving people ways into it.”
“An artwork is made in a particular moment, but it lives in many times.”
ABOUT THE GUEST
https://www.instagram.com/alona_pardo/
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
**
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
1 hr 24 min
October 21What I'm Looking For When I Select Art For Open Calls And Prizes
When I’m selecting for an open call or art prize, I might be looking at hundreds, sometimes thousands, of artworks. So, what actually makes me stop at one and think, hang on, I want to see this in real life?
I wanted to share what’s actually going through my mind when I’m choosing from all those images to help you look at your own applications differently. Instead of wondering what everyone else wants to see, I want to help you figure out how to stop second-guessing yourself, drop the anxiety of playing it safe, and give your bravest, most distinctive work the best possible chance of catching a selector's eye.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If you've made something that gives you that little whoosh of excitement, something you are slightly nervous about showing, perhaps that's the work you should be considering.

You don't have to play it safe by submitting something that's simply nice; selectors would much rather encounter an artwork that makes them think, blimey, what's going on here?

You don't have to second-guess everything a selector might like. But looking at who is selecting and what the institution is trying to achieve gives you a much more informed way to choose what to submit.

Invest in the quality of your documentation, because your photographs need to give the work the best possible opportunity to communicate its particular qualities, especially when you're not there to advocate for it.
BEST MOMENTS
“What matters is what meaning I can glean and whether the artist has created an encounter that stays with me.”
“Sometimes I'll select a work that's technically less accomplished than another because there's something odd happening within it.”
“Generally, I'm looking for something that makes me curious, something that catches me off guard or makes me want to spend more time with it.”
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
****
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
****
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
****
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
****
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
19 min
October 18 The Weight of Imagination: Art, Memory, and Making with Andy Holden
What would it be like to meet every version of the artist you’ve been over the last twenty years?
That’s essentially what Andy Holden has just done.
For his new book, Weight of Imagination, Andy re-performed works from across his career, encountering his younger selves along the way. The teenager who wrote an art manifesto with his friends.
The young artist returning a piece of stone he’d stolen from the Great Pyramid of Giza. The artist who had to become a cartoon to understand the laws of a cartoon universe. And the musician who found that playing with his band, The Grubby Mitts, could keep his creativity alive when making visual art became difficult.
In this conversation, we talk about what happens when you refuse to abandon the ideas that once mattered to you, how to keep making through periods of doubt, and what twenty years of work can teach you about the artist you’re becoming.
I’m Ceri Hand. I’m an artist coach, and on Extraordinary Creatives I get inside the lives of remarkable creative people to discover how they make their work and build a life that allows them to keep making it.
I can’t wait for you to get to know Andy Holden.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Looking back can be more than a way of taking stock; it can bring earlier versions of ourselves into conversation with the present.
Revisiting old work may reveal not a single, tidy through-line, but seeds and questions that are still alive and have potential.
Let the story help you find its medium. Sometimes the work asks you to learn a new skill or make something imperfectly, because the way it is made needs to carry the same meaning as what it says.
Creative practice can ask us to hold opposing truths at once: irony and sincerity, hope and pessimism, confidence and doubt.
Art need not resolve those tensions; it can help us stay with their complexity and carry that capacity into life.
BEST MOMENTS
“If It is curious to you, it will be curious to somebody else.”
“Don't try and reflect and analyse. Or create and analyse at the same time. They're two different processes.”
“Perhaps an extraordinary creative life needs a bit of both: enough irreverence to question the rules, and enough sincerity to care deeply about what you make.”
EPISODE RESOURCES
The Weight of Imagination by Andy Holden - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Holden-Imagination-Jennifer-Higgie/dp/191173640X
https://andyholdenartist.com/
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
****
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
****
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
****
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
****
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
1 hr 43 min
October 14What Kind of Art Makes You Glad to Be Alive?
What kind of art makes you glad to be alive?
I don't necessarily mean the work you think is important, the artists you're supposed to admire or the exhibitions everybody's talking about. I'm interested in the work that gets under your skin. The things you find yourself thinking about years after you've encountered them. The things that make you feel more curious about being in the world.
And I wonder how often, as artists, we give ourselves permission to think about that.
Last week, I was talking about the moment when research becomes art. I was asking what happens when all the information you've gathered, the things you've discovered and the ideas you've explored undergo some kind of transformation through your particular way of seeing.
This week, I want to explore where that way of seeing might come from.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Your enthusiasm can tell you things that your intellectual understanding hasn't quite caught up with. When a piece of art or something else prompts a strong reaction in you, take note of why it interests you, what makes you laugh, ask questions, relaxes you or even what makes you feel uncomfortable.

If you're continually editing your interests according to what you think other people will approve of, you can lose touch with the things that made you excited about making art in the first place.

Seeing someone else's work and feeling a little pang of envy can be revealing, not because of their success, but because they've made something you wish you'd had the courage to make.

Gather ten artworks that make you feel glad to be alive and identify the recurring qualities. Use those insights to see if there are qualities you admire in others' work that you haven't given yourself permission to explore in your own studio.
BEST MOMENTS
"When I ask them what they find exciting about somebody's work, sometimes they struggle."

"If you discover a contradiction between what you love and what you're making, don't immediately assume you need to change everything."
"We talk about having good taste, bad taste, sophisticated taste. But those descriptions can quickly become tied up with ideas about class, race, culture, status, education, fashion and belonging."

"You don't need to arrive at a definitive statement about your artistic identity. You're allowed to change your mind. You're allowed to have contradictory interests. You're allowed to love things you can't explain."
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
****
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
****
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
****
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
****
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
17 min
October 11What Art Can Do About Climate Change? - with Alice Sharp and Rana Begum
What can art do about climate change that science, facts, and frightening headlines can’t?
That question has driven curator Alice Sharp for more than fifteen years. As Artistic Director of Invisible Dust, she brings leading artists and scientists together to create something neither could have arrived at alone.
Her latest project, Climate Clock, created for Oulu’s year as European Capital of Culture in Finland, brings together seven permanent public artworks exploring climate change through our relationship with nature and time. Each artist was paired with a scientist, with Alice creating the conditions for those conversations to become something genuinely new.
One of those artists is Rana Begum, whose collaboration with glaciologist Alan Hubbard transformed footage of glaciers breaking apart into a monumental work made from locally sourced stone, evoking both the weight and fragility of ice.
In this conversation, Alice talks about trust, risk, fundraising, scientists, communities and the invisible infrastructure behind ambitious public art. Rana takes us inside the artist’s process: what happens when new knowledge enters your imagination, how work changes as it meets a place, and why the best collaborations leave room for surprise.
And we ask: if information alone isn’t changing our behaviour, can artists help us feel our way towards a different future?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Art can help us imagine climate futures in ways that facts and science alone cannot. Bringing artists and scientists together creates space for new perspectives, questions, thought provoking work and unexpected outcomes.

Art doesn’t have to turn climate science into a neat lesson. It can hold beauty and fear together, creating a pause where people can feel, notice and ask questions.

Public art doesn’t need to be removed from everyday life to have impact — placing challenging work where people encounter it unexpectedly can start conversations and change how communities see themselves.

Artists help shape the futures we can imagine.
BEST MOMENTS
“Who can imagine the future? It’s artists because you know it’s impossible to do anything about the future without imagining.”
“If you can bring in a new perspective that someone hasn’t heard before, I think you’re going to have people more interested in future thinking.”
“Rather than becoming paralysed by the scale of what is happening, ask what agency we have through the choices we make, the relationships we build and the work we put into the world.”
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.ranabegum.com/
https://invisibledust.com/
https://www.instagram.com/invisible_dust
https://www.instagram.com/ranabegumstudio
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career?
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
1 hr 30 min
October 07When Research Hasn't Become Art Yet
At a recent exhibition opening, I was talking with an artist whose work I admire. We were looking at work that was beautifully made and meticulously researched, yet somehow, I wasn’t moved.
The artist described it as research that hadn't become art yet.
I thought that was such an interesting observation, because it describes something I've encountered many times over the years
A fascinating subject, impeccable research and extraordinary skill don’t always add up to an artwork that feels fully alive. Over the next three episodes, I’m exploring how you develop your own artistic point of view: how research becomes art; what the works that make you feel glad to be alive can teach you about what you want to make; and how that understanding can help you find people who connect with and champion your work.
It’s easy to get caught up in producing, explaining, and promoting work without asking what you want it to do. So today, let’s start with research: when does it stop being information you’ve gathered and become something only you could make?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sometimes a work can feel like a presentation of research rather than artwork. Often, because the artist hasn’t yet made the personal choices that transform it into work that moves them and others.

Don’t let research postpone creating. There will always be another book to read or person to interview. Sometimes the next discovery comes from trying something, getting it wrong, and seeing where the experiment takes you.

The transformation doesn't have to be dramatic, but there's a difference between representing something you found and making a decision about it that opens up a new experience for somebody else.

Give the viewer a chance to meet the work before they meet the backstory. Notice what they’re curious about, where they linger, and what surprises them. Their response can show you what’s already alive in the work and where to take it next.
BEST MOMENTS
“Sometimes, when an artist tells me about a new project, they can talk for twenty minutes about the research before we get anywhere near the artwork.”
“Then I look at the artwork and find myself wondering where the artist has gone.”
“Take a look at what you've actually made so far. Try to separate it just temporarily from everything you know about the subject.”
“You might begin to recognize the difference between the things you know about your subject and the things you're discovering through making the work.”
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
**
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
17 min
October 04Learning How to Really Look, Understand And Uncover The Story with Daniel Crouch
How does a sixteen-year-old looking for beer money become one of the world’s leading dealers in rare maps, selling extraordinary objects for millions and occasionally outbidding the Library of Congress?
Today I’m talking to Daniel Crouch, founder of Daniel Crouch Rare Books, because I’ve always been fascinated by maps. They might look like records of the world, but they’re also records of how somebody wanted us to see it: who owns what, where borders lie, what gets included and what disappears.
Daniel has spent his entire working life learning how to look. We talk about a magnificent sixteenth-century world map that may have been made for political negotiations between kings; a 5,000-year-old clay map bearing its maker’s thumbprint; and the nineteenth-century map he bought for £100 at a car boot sale, only to discover his own house sitting right in the middle of it.
But beneath these extraordinary objects is a much bigger conversation about curiosity, storytelling, value, collecting and what happens when you spend a lifetime paying very close attention.
I loved this one. I think you will too.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Work that feels topical, disposable or culturally specific today can become an important historical record tomorrow. The fact that something was made quickly or for a short-lived audience doesn't make it artistically or historically insignificant.

Go and look again at something you think you already know. Stay with it a little longer. Ask who made it, why they made it and what you can see that somebody else might miss - sometimes the extraordinary thing isn’t hidden at all. We just haven’t learned how to look yet.

Looking is never neutral. Somebody has made a choice about what to include, what to leave out, where to place the centre, where to draw a boundary. Every creative work is also a way of deciding what the world looks like.

Expertise doesn't arrive all at once. Daniel built his eye slowly by looking, touching, researching, talking, making mistakes and staying curious.
BEST MOMENTS
“Value doesn’t live in price alone. It grows when somebody can help us understand the history, labour, imagination, craft and human experience held inside an object.”
“That thing that you think actually is just a throwaway thing could go on to inspire generations to come.”
“As art dealers, particularly as rare map dealers, we don't sell objects and we don't sell beauty. We sell a story.”
ABOUT THE GUEST
https://crouchrarebooks.com/
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
**
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
1 hr 31 min
September 30What Four Days Learning About Trauma Taught Me About Creativity
What if the thing that you keep calling procrastination, lack of confidence or self-sabotage isn’t quite what you think it is? What if one part of you desperately wants the exhibition, the opportunity, or success, while another part is trying just as hard to keep you safe? And what happens to our creativity when we’re also carrying grief, uncertainty, difficult relationships, and everything that’s happened to us before, as well as everything happening in the world around us right now?
I recently spent four days in Oxford thinking exactly about these questions at a conference on trauma, healing the mind, the body, and the spirit. I came home thinking how much of this connects to the challenges that I see creatives wrestling with every single day.
So, in this episode, I want to talk about agency - the different parts of ourselves that can want completely contradictory things; grief and trust; how we protect our attention without turning away from the world; why spirituality is still a dirty word in the art world; and why the problem that you think you might need to solve might only be the visible part of something much bigger.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If you’re procrastinating, stuck on pricing, or avoiding galleries, it may not be a simple confidence problem. The visible snag could be connected to exhaustion, grief, old hurts, or the conditions you’re working in.

Your creative block may be tied to loss, not just bereavement. Maybe losing a community, security, or the person you thought you’d become. Naming what you’re grieving can help make sense of what feels stuck.

You can care about what’s happening in the world without taking in every update. Managing your inputs isn't indifference - it enables you to remain present and useful for longer.

Agency doesn’t mean carrying the whole art world on your shoulders. Agency is saying this isn't all within your control, so let's identify what is.

You don’t have to become fearless to make work or put yourself out there. Confidence can mean taking a step without knowing how it’ll go and trusting yourself to meet what comes next.
BEST MOMENTS
"The bit of you that's frightened doesn't disappear because you tell it to be quiet. It just keeps tapping you on the shoulder, and sometimes it gets even louder.”
“Sometimes, what we're grieving is a version of ourselves.”
“Maybe confidence is I don't know what's going to happen, but I trust myself enough to find out.”
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!
https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
**
Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity
Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
34 min
September 27 Preparing for Viral Success Without Burning Out with Freddie Yauner
What do you do when an artwork you’ve been quietly developing for years suddenly goes stratospheric? And how do you turn a hit into a career-changing opportunity without sacrificing your health, your family, or the work itself?
My guest today is extraordinary artist Freddie Yauner, whose work explores how our drive for continual growth impacts people and the planet. Held in MoMA’s permanent collection, his projects range from world-record-breaking toasters to portraits of CEOs painted with pollen.
Years ago, I invited Freddie to make a film using his Mirror Mask, an ingenious piece reflecting the viewer rather than the wearer. Newly edited and reposted, the film exploded - racking up millions of views, reaching fans like Dawn French, and sending thousands of masks around the world.
We discuss the mechanisms of success: how great ideas are mobilised, navigating health issues and imposter syndrome when things take off, and how to reinvest a hit to protect your creative life. Freddie also shares what shifted for him when he joined my six-month Artist Mastermind Circle.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sometimes a number one hit arrives years after you first made the work. Your job is to be ready for it. Treat virality not as a fluke but as the moment when preparation meets opportunity.
You don’t have to do everything yourself. Investing in help with admin, social media or production isn’t indulgent, it’s how you create the capacity to stay creative, resilient and available to new opportunities.
Doing less, better, is a radical act. When health or life reduces your capacity, it can also sharpen your priorities. Limitation can become a lens that clarifies what really matters in your practice.
BEST MOMENTS
“Luck favours the prepared mind.”
“Treat a successful artwork like a number one hit… don’t abandon it because you’re already thinking about the next thing… stay curious about how far it can travel, who else it might reach and what doors it might open.”
“You put all this energy into making the work, and then actually it's not complete until you work out how to share it as well.”
If you’re an experienced artist who’s already had some success through exhibitions, but you know there are areas where you’re ready to level up, applications are now open for my next Artist Mastermind Circle.
It runs for six months, from November 2026 to May 2027, with twenty-five artists from around the world. A carefully curated group, so places are by application, and the deadline is Monday 28 September.
Apply here: cerihand.com/artist-mastermind-circle.
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://freddieyauner.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/freddieyauner
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
**
Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals - https://cerihand.com/membership/
**
Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course
Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly.
https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/
**
Book a Discovery Call Today
To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
1 hr 37 min