Self Taught Artist

Let’s talk about impostor syndrome as an artist! The #1 way that I see Impostor Syndrome come up for artists is a belief that they're not a "Real Artist" if they didn’t go to art school. Guess what, even if you have ZERO formal training, you are still an ARTIST. If you enjoy making any kind of artwork for fun or as a business, you are an ARTIST.  We’re talking all about Impostor Syndrome today, breaking it down, and banishing it for good! On this podcast you'll get a motivational pep talk with a lot of different ways to blast impostor syndrome thoughts out of your brain. Bookmark this one for any day you need a creative pep talk to get you painting again!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, hit the "subscribe" button so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/

I'll be back next week with another new episode. This season you can expect more art tips and tricks, breakdowns of useful painting techniques, and, of course, lots of information on selling your art and starting an art business out of your creative hobby.

So much of painting, art, creativity is mental! The easiest way to feel more free, expressive, and painterly is to reduce the pressure from yourself when you're painting or making art. My secret to better painting is to work on multiple pieces of art at one time. Sometimes I am painting 3 or 4 canvases at a time in my art studio! Painting Multiples is such a great method of painting and on today's podcast I'm telling you all the advantages. I hope you try this in your art practice and enjoy the painting process.

Please take a minute to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/

If you are new to Etsy, click this link for 40 FREE LISTINGS: https://etsy.me/2QuEqrL 

The Self Taught Artist Podcast is BACK! Painters, Creatives, Artists, and Aspiring Artists -- It's time for Season 2 of the Self Taught Artist podcast and I'm so glad you're here with me. On today's podcast episode we are talking all about the Etsy fee increase that just went into effect this month. It has been all over the news lately, and it has a lot of artists wondering: Should I sell on Etsy or start my own online store? There are lots of considerations when deciding what you want to do and it has a lot to do with the maturity of your art business and the size of your audience. 

If you decide you are ready to create your own online store to sell your art, I suggest www.bigcartel.com on the podcast as a great online store option for artists and creators. If you need a way to get discounted shipping labels for your art business, I suggest www.pirateship.com. These are two great sites that help you to replace Etsy if you so choose. 

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is [email protected] 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/

I'll be back next week with another new episode. My plan is to release a new podcast weekly until I run out of ideas for Season 2 :-) This season you can expect more art tips and tricks, breakdowns of useful painting techniques, and, of course, lots of information on selling your art and starting an art business out of your creative hobby. 

Thank you to our guest artist Debbie Igram (@DebbieIgram) for participating in this episode! Go check out her gorgeous art on Instagram and hit the follow button so you can follow along with her journey. https://www.instagram.com/debbieigram/

Today we have an extra special episode. You may remember a few weeks ago I threw out an idea to all of you listeners out there - I was looking for a volunteer for a new type of episode I'm calling creative coaching. I wanted to get one of you on the show with me to work through a challenge you're facing with your art. Debbie (@DebbieIgram) answered the call and volunteered. She is a watercolor and acrylic artist who wants to take a brave step forward and start selling her art. 

This is a different kind of episode and we work out issues and brainstorm ideas in real-time. I loved chatting with Debbie and I am so grateful for all she shared with the Self Taught Artist Podcast community in this episode. You're going to love it, so let's get on with the show! We talk about so many things related to selling your artwork - payment, shipping, pricing, marketing, and more.

I mentioned my postage scale on the episode. Check it out here on Amazon ($10.99 in the USA): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X9NQ8GX/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_DD88V8NYWVG0HYVE4BYX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 

I also mentioned PirateShip.com for shipping discounts at USPS. You can find out more at https://www.pirateship.com/

If you want to sell on Etsy, don't forget I have a code for 40 FREE Listings to get you started: https://etsy.me/2QuEqrL 

Today on the Self Taught Artist podcast I share three apps I cannot live without! These have helped me so much as an artist to share my work and do a better job of marketing my work. If you want to share your work on social media or sell your work online, you have to get good photos of your work. It's a necessity. If you want to build up an audience for your artwork - how else will you get people's interest if you don't have good photos? As a result, I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to take good photos of my work, how to edit them, and how to share on social media to achieve my goals for my art. 

3 Apps on my phone get used all the time to help me share my artwork with the world. Listen today and I'll tell you all about them and how I use them. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart

3 APPS - LINKS TO APPLE AND ANDROID APP STORES:

1. TouchRetouch

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/touchretouch/id373311252

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.advasoft.touchretouch&hl=en_US&gl=US

2. Instfit

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/instfit-post-without-croppin/id591706840

3. PLANN

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/plann-preview-for-instagram/id1106201141

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.webhaus.planyourgramScheduler&hl=en_US&gl=US

If you are new to Etsy, click this link for 40 FREE LISTINGS: https://etsy.me/2QuEqrL 

This week we're talking about how to sell more art on Etsy. The secret is to invest some time improving your Etsy SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. There are millions of listings on Etsy, so the question is how can you stand out? I'm sharing my practical tips for improving the reach of your Etsy shop. This episode applies to all artists, painters, and creatives who want to be selling their art on Etsy (or who want to sell more art on Etsy). 

Email: laurenkristineart [at] gmail.com

Get 40 FREE ETSY LISTINGS: https://etsy.me/2QuEqrL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com 

I think finding your own artistic style the topic I see talked about the MOST among Self Taught Artists. I have been collecting my thoughts for a while and thinking about three big questions: Do you need to have a distinct artistic style? If so, how do you find your artistic style? Does it make you a better artist if you have your own style? Let's discuss…

Here's what we cover in today's episode:

1. We talk about where this expectation of having your own unique artistic style comes from.

2. We talk about what happened when I tried to force my style and how I've started thinking about this concept of artistic style ever since.

3. How did famous painters of the past approach style? What about current contemporary artists?

4. Next, we take a ride in the social media time machine. My favorite part of this episode.

5. I give you my formula for finding your own unique artistic style. It's not a shortcut, but it's the one I use and 100% believe in. 

6. I talk about how painting in collections can be a great "hack" to making it look like you have a style or common thread in all your work. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart

I hope you enjoyed this episode - please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message, too.

Today the agenda is pretty relaxed… we'll talk about art shows, markets, and fairs and I'll give you the update from my art show last week. Second, we'll talk about trying new things and branching out to painting new subject matter. Do you have to be consistent as an artist? Finally, I finish up the episode talking about my favorite paint colors right now and an encouraging note to keep your eyes on the long game as a Self Taught Artist. This is a great episode to paint along with - so get out your paint brushes, squeeze out some fresh paint, and let's get going!

This odds & ends episode format is new - it's where I talk about what's going on in my art studio and whatever artsy topics have been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the Self Taught Artist podcast!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart

I'm sharing why you need to LOVE your artwork and 3 secrets to creating art you love. It's an artistic pep talk to get you falling in love with your art all over again. 

This episode is great for all kinds of artists, painters, and creatives of any kind. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart

Thanks for listening to the Self Taught Artist podcast! Happy creating my friends!

How to Achieve Special Effects with Acrylic Mediums and Additives

An acrylic medium is a substance that is added to paint to change one or more of its properties. Essentially, Acrylic mediums and additives are liquids or gels that you mix into your acrylic paint. They can help you create different effects, textures, and finishes by making the paint thinner, thicker, glossy, matte, slow-drying, textured, and more. Just another tool you can consider adding to your painting and art supply toolbox!

I'll talk about the most common acrylic mediums one by one. I'll quickly note that Mediums are incredibly versatile, and a lot of them can serve multiple purposes and you'll notice that really quickly as I talk about them.

The acrylic mediums and additives we talk about today are the following:

Mediums are fun to experiment with as a painter and they can help you get unique effects in your artwork. These are optional, but I share them with you in case you've been scratching your head wondering how to get a certain effect in your art!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkristineart/ 

Website: https://www.laurenkristineart.com 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenkristineart