Art is magical. Art is whimsical. Art is mysterious. And yet, it would be great if we could get a business plan. How do progress your indie art career? How do you get paid? How do you grow as an artist? The answers to our most challenging questions are rarely one size fits all. More often, the answers arise from asking those questions through a dedicated practice.

In today's episode, we'll discuss how to think about building a creative ecosystem that perpetuates growth (even when you're short on time, money, and vision) with 5 core practices to help grow momentum.

The tarot deck I mentioned by Mike Willcox: https://mikewillcox.com/products/tarot-oracle-second-edition

FREE FREE FREE: HOW TO MAKE A WEB SERIES | A Playbook — Read the case study now: https://www.artists-strategy.com/queens-bird-web-series-playbook

Want to request a specific topic? Email: [email protected]

FOLLOW US HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@letsgoagainpod⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

If you haven't noticed, it's not 2003 anymore. Crazy, right? But that's good news for creatives who want cool indie careers that feel aligned, profitable, and high impact. How to make money as an artist has shifted away from the institutions bestowing fame and fortune onto us, and shifted toward the artist being in control. From the most successful artists in the world to currently unknown future stars, all kinds of indie artists are doing it.

In this episode, I'm sharing two case studies of artists in the past ten years who have successfully made the shift to owning their indie careers. Then we're going to talk through the four most common reasons indie creatives don't make the shift. And finally, end with a practical takeaway so you can see for yourself how you might move forward on your path.

HEADS UP! We'll be taking a break the next two weeks for the holidays. Catch up on the last 10 episodes, and meet us back here in the new year for solo eps, guests, and more.

Want to request a specific topic? Email: [email protected]

SHOW NOTES >>

2:22 How I edited the second draft of my feature script

5:48 Card pull from the Archetype deck

7:23 The redistribution of power in creative fields

10:16 What an agent told me about my book proposal that completely shifted my thinking about art

12:32 Defining the iconoclastic shift

14:44 Case Study: Banksy's Girl with Balloon

16:23 Case Study: Vulfpeck's Sleepify

18:42 Alternative paths for indie careers

19:34 The 4 most common obstacles to making a shift, and how to overcome them

23:28 A practical exercise for finding your own path

24:47 A big myth we need to stop believing

FREE STUFF >>

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: ⁠⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠⁠

FREE GUIDE: Pitch Deck Starter Guide for Indie Creators — You’ve got the idea. Now get the funding. Download it here: ⁠⁠⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/b8b22a15-8756-45a0-94d4-e3daf048066c⁠⁠

⁠⁠NOVEMBER READING LIST: ⁠⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nov23⁠⁠

FOLLOW US HERE: ⁠⁠⁠@letsgoagainpod⁠⁠⁠

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For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


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If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch our films & series on YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://youtube.com/@queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

Raise your hand if you've ever asked your best friend in the middle of a sobbing existential crisis: "is it too late for me to change careers?" or "is it too late to catch a big break?" or "can I start over after 30?" For cultural, temporal, and psychological reasons (among others), we get super fixated on this concept of breaking out "in time". We want big success at the youngest age possible. We want to be super incredible at one narrow thing. We want to feel like we can define ourselves if someone asks us what we do, and who we are.

And yet.

Life just works out differently. There is a such a thing in economics called Time Horizons. And it's the metric by which you evaluate an investment. If it works for cold hard cash, it can work for our warm, tender hearts too. So in today's episode, we're going to use the concept of Time Horizons to plan (yes... plan.) our big break.

The practical exercise in today's episode: A 5 Year Audit + a 5 Year Forecast. Plus, 3 investments for career growth you can start making right away.

FREE STUFF >>

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: ⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠

FREE GUIDE: Pitch Deck Starter Guide for Indie Creators — You’ve got the idea. Now get the funding. Download it here: ⁠⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/b8b22a15-8756-45a0-94d4-e3daf048066c⁠

⁠⁠NOVEMBER READING LIST: ⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nov23⁠

FOLLOW US HERE: ⁠⁠@letsgoagainpod⁠⁠

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch our films & series on YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠http://youtube.com/@queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠

Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

If the very mention of SMART goals makes you want to scratch your eyes out, gather 'round friend. So often we choose creative goals based on what we think will make us happy, but the psychology of happiness explains the paradox of achieving a goal and still feeling bad. The Happiness Set Point Theory, the Hedonic Treadmill, and the unlikely role that pain plays in our overall life satisfaction are just some of the strategies we're going to use to revamp our creative goals.

The practical exercise in today's episode: Setting a new creative goal for 2024 that will feel super gratifying and also be 100% achievable.

FREE STUFF >>

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d

FREE GUIDE: Pitch Deck Starter Guide for Indie Creators — You’ve got the idea. Now get the funding. Download it here: ⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/b8b22a15-8756-45a0-94d4-e3daf048066c

⁠⁠NOVEMBER READING LIST: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nov23

FOLLOW US HERE: ⁠@letsgoagainpod⁠

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠⁠⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠⁠⁠

Watch our films & series on YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠http://youtube.com/@queensbirdfilms⁠⁠

Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠⁠⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

If you've ever called yourself a recovering perfectionist, then you know that overcoming perfectionism isn't easy. And maybe that's because perfectionism, in and of itself, isn't all bad. In fact, adaptive perfectionism (as written about by Katherine Morgan Schafler, psychologist and author of Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control) can actually be used to gain momentum, reach your cutting edge, and live a gratifying life.

In today's episode, we'll also break down the Edge Effect and how pursuing it, with the help of perfectionism, can help you reach greater and greater heights in...anything.

TAKE THE QUIZ: https://www.perfectionistsguide.com/quiz

READ THE BOOK: https://www.perfectionistsguide.com

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: queensbirdfilms.com

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: https://bit.ly/QBlist

Follow on INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/queensbirdfilms

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

Have you set your profile to private? Have you archived everything that feels a smidge embarrassing? Does the idea of sharing an ounce of honesty on the World Wide Web make you crumple in pre-shame?

If you're an indie artist and you struggle with being seen online because you cringe so much at yourself, this one's for you. Using the Jungian concept of Shadow Work, we'll redefine embarrassment as a tool we can actually use (yes, use) in our creative process.

ARCANA: Tarot Universal by Diego De Leon

---------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how you green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

---------------------------------

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make content for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: queensbirdfilms.com

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: bit.ly/QBlist

Follow on INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/queensbirdfilms

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

Resistance and creativity. Where there's one, there's the other. Add the pressure of productivity, unconsciously negative self talk, and the hard-to-articulate creative process, and you've got the makings for a perfect dead end. But good news: there's a way out of the cul-de-sac.

In today's episode, we'll talk about how to uncover the unconscious mind that's driving our actions, the Akrasia Effect, and how using the 8 Artist Habits of Mind can offer a new perspective on the creative process and how to overcome resistance.

⁠NOVEMBER READING LIST: ⁠https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nov23

FOLLOW US HERE: @letsgoagainpod

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠⁠

Watch our films & series on YOUTUBE: ⁠http://youtube.com/@queensbirdfilms⁠

Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

So many of us who make indie art want to know: How can I find an audience for my creative work? How can I make money with my art? How can I make my life as a creative sustainable? And in the past, the answer might have been: strike it big. Become a star in whatever industry you're in. But as the past few years have shown us, stars...they're just like us. And creative industries everywhere are becoming less profitable and sustainable for artists (even stars!).

The good news is, there are clues everywhere on how to grow a platform for your creative work — in places you might least expect them. So this week, we're going to explore the concept of Third Places, Sidewalk Theory, and Gift Economics in an effort to pave a sustainable indie path.

NOVEMBER READING LIST: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nov23

My favorite Digital Third Places >>

Divergent Strategies from Holisticism: https://www.holisticism.com/

SPACIES: https://spacies.substack.com/

How to Be Human: https://open.spotify.com/show/1V8taFSZQDpMcXkrP5dGrs

Artists Raising Kids: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53767189e4b07d0c6bf4b775/t/5f833abc70b2512ccab9fe81/1602435780827/Artists+Raising+Kids+Compendium+10.20.pdf

Articles mentioned >>

Hollywood’s Slo-Mo Self-Sabotage https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/hollywood-self-sabotage-writer-strike

The Twilight of Prestige Television https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/06/the-twilight-of-prestige-television

Sydney Sweeney on Fame, Hollywood Fakery and the Pressure of Paying the Bills https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sydney-sweeney-fame-emmys-euphoria-the-white-lotus-1235186681/

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make things for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: ⁠queensbirdfilms.com⁠

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: ⁠https://bit.ly/QBlist⁠

Watch our films & series on YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/@queensbirdfilms

Follow on INSTAGRAM: ⁠instagram.com/queensbirdfilms⁠

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: ⁠tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

You want to post about your work. You want to grow a following. You want to make an impact. But everything you say and do online sounds so cliche.

Never fear, comedy is here. Using Nora Ephron's philosophy on writing and the Three Theories of Humor, we'll brainstorm a whole lotta ways to avoid being cliche in everything from posting on social, to grant writing, to investment pitches by using... The Laugh.

Here's the episode of The Screenwriting Life that I mentioned.

--------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Trigger List: Green Light Your Next Project — You’ve got a million ideas. This is how to green light them. Download the trigger list here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/80fd34c4-0c37-45d2-b92e-8711ef6ad57d⁠

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

--------------------------------

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make content for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: queensbirdfilms.com

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: bit.ly/QBlist

Follow on INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/queensbirdfilms

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

Feeling pressure to succeed is morally neutral. It's not bad or good to want success in your art. But sometimes putting too much pressure on yourself can diminish your ability to do your work. The pressure becomes a block.

So today we'll use the Live the Question theory from Rilke, as well as the idea of unconscious-conscious communication from Penney Pierce, to explore releasing the pressure we feel and unleashing our own potential.

-------------------------------

For you, Dear Listener:

If you’re listening on Spotify — we want to hear from you:

• Answer this week’s Q&A and poll


• Leave us a voice message and tell us your thoughts about this episode

If you liked today’s episode, please consider leaving a rating & review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

FREE GUIDE: Pitch Deck Starter Guide for Indie Creators — You’ve got the idea. Now get the funding. Download it here: https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/b8b22a15-8756-45a0-94d4-e3daf048066c

Let’s Go Again is hosted by Courtney Romano.

This is a project from Queens Bird Films.

-------------------------------

ABOUT QUEENS BIRD FILMS:

Queens Bird Films is a production company telling stories to make life fun. With irreverence, depth, and a bit of whimsy, we make content for people who want to fall back in love with life.

See the films, series, and podcasts we made for you here: queensbirdfilms.com

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER: bit.ly/QBlist

Follow on INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/queensbirdfilms

Follow Courtney on TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@courtney.romano

Episode segmentsEdit audio