The Create! Podcast

How do you translate the memory of a landscape into a rich, tactile painting? And how do you sustain a meaningful studio practice when life and work get demanding?

In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat sits down with Lansing, Michigan-based visual artist and educator Laurén Gerig. Laurén shares her thoughts on place attachment, building expressive paint surfaces, and using poetry to set the stage for intuitive studio sessions. We also dive into the realities of balancing a demanding day job in academia with an active exhibition schedule, and how small micro-moments in the studio can help you overcome creative fatigue and keep momentum alive.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Capturing the psychological bonds we create with landscapes and nature
• The tactile joy of thick mark-making, paint accumulation, and surface texture
• Using poetry as a studio ritual to transition into making work
• Navigating life as both a practicing artist and a university gallery director
• Making room for low-pressure, small-scale work like 20-minute charcoal drawings
• How running and stepping away from the easel can serve as the ultimate creative reset

Connect with Laurén Gerig:

• Website: www.laurengerigart.com
• Instagram: @laurengerigart

Stay connected with Create! Magazine:

• Subscribe to the Create! Substack for more artist stories and reflections: www.createmagazine.substack.com
• Submit your work for an upcoming issue of Create! Magazine: www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art

Imagine pouring your heart into a massive sculpture, only to watch it crash to the floor. What if that disaster was exactly what your practice needed?

In this episode of The Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova talks with multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator Rebecca Casement. Based in Michigan, Rebecca creates affective, abstract sculptures and installations using ceramics, mixed media, sound, and textiles. This conversation explores her practice of pushing materials to their breaking point and why building instability into artwork mirrors life's unpredictability.

Episode Highlights:

• The Beauty of Instability — why Rebecca intentionally builds heavy, precarious clay sculpture with a high likelihood of breaking in the kiln
• A Shift in Perspective — the story of a shattered personal sculpture that changed her entire artistic mindset
• Art as a Lifestyle — how to ditch the burned-out artist trope, protect your physical energy, and bring joy back into a daily studio practice
• Carried Together — inside her new collaborative project featuring 14 women artists exploring community and care

About Rebecca Casement: Rebecca Casement is a multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator who creates affective abstract sculptures and installations. Raised in rural Michigan, she developed a habit of creative experimentation with materials that carries into her studio practice today. Focused on material language and history, her work is both emotive and honest. Rebecca holds an MFA in Studio Art and a Certification in College Teaching from Michigan State University.

Connect with Rebecca: https://www.rebeccacasement.com/

Community & Opportunities: Join our Substack for fresh articles, longer-form insights, and community conversation. Submit your work to our current open call, The Artist's World, juried by Marina Press Granger, at createmagazine.com/call-for-art.

In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat sits down with artist, author, and board-certified art therapist Leah Guzman to explore how creativity can serve as a sanctuary for healing, emotional expression, and personal evolution. Together, they unpack the pressure artists put on themselves, navigating creative burnout, taking intentional breaks from exhibiting, and why the physical act of making art is proven to lower stress and regulate the nervous system. Leah shares practical, low-friction habits to help you reconnect with your art practice without judgment or attachment to the final result. In this episode, we chat about:

• How art functions as emotional expression and healing during major life transitions.
• The neuroscience behind art therapy and lowering cortisol levels.
• Letting go of high-pressure exhibition timelines and career perfectionism.
• Simple studio hacks to eliminate friction and build a daily creative habit.
• Leah's upcoming Creative Soul Retreat and using body mapping, animal guides, and focus wheels to clear mental fog.

Connect with Leah Guzman & Resources:

• Join Leah's 3-Day Creative Soul Retreat ($7)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.therapy.online
• https://www.leahguzmanstudio.com/creative-soul-society-membership

Stay Connected with Create! Magazine:

• Subscribe to the Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com
• Official Website: https://www.createmagazine.com

In this episode, Ekaterina Popova welcomes back artist, muralist, author, podcaster, and educator Brandi Hofer to discuss the evolution of her multifaceted creative life. They dive into the realities of being a working artist and mother, why it is essential to embrace play without judgment, and how to quiet the self-doubt often picked up in traditional academic spaces. Brandi shares the story behind her viral, accessible portrait techniques, her monumental 3,082 square foot Truth and Reconciliation mural project, and her upcoming creative retreat in Portugal scheduled for June 2027. This conversation is an honest, approachable, and inspiring reminder to trust your gut and make space for genuine creative joy. Key Topics Covered

• Multifaceted Creativity: Embracing the seasons of your life and allowing your artistic interests to evolve.
• Shattering Art School Myths: Why tools like projectors are just another way to create, and how to let go of perfectionism.
• The Power of Play: Returning to your art practice without judgment and rediscovering the childlike wonder of making.
• Big Projects & Manifestation: Insights into Brandi's massive community murals and her upcoming 2027 creative retreat in Portugal.
• Balancing Motherhood and Art: Navigating family life, community building, and carving out space for your passions.

Connect with Brandi Hofer

Join the Retreat

Portrait Class

• Website: https://www.brandihofer.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandihoferstudios

What does it really cost to "get chosen" in the art world, and when does it make more sense to bypass the gatekeepers and bet on yourself?

In this episode, we welcome back Sharone Halevy and Alex Mitow from The Superfair for an honest, unfiltered conversation about what art fairs actually are and why they matter for artists in 2026 and beyond.

We strip away the smoke and mirrors of traditional gallery representation to talk about the financial realities nobody likes to admit out loud. From spending $6,000 on shipping for a dream international show only to surrender a 50% commission and fund your own travel, to Alex's story of sleeping in a Paris basement for three weeks while losing thousands on an exhibition that looked incredible on paper, we get real about the true price of "exposure".

We also unpack why an art fair is one of the most powerful, concentrated feedback engines an artist can access, where a sale is just one small piece of the long-term value. We break down how to overcome the fear of representing yourself in a booth, how to turn casual visitors into loyal collectors, and why owning your narrative, your collector relationships, and your proceeds is worth more than waiting for permission. Plus, Sharone and Alex share an exciting look at what is next for The Superfair, including new fairs launching across the country.

In This Episode:

• The Core of an Art Fair: What an art fair really is and the evolving role it plays for independent artists today.

• Beyond the Sale: Why real-time, in-person feedback at a fair is one of the most valuable career assets you can build.

• The Unspoken Costs of Gallery Shows: The reality of shipping fees, 50% commission cuts, and self-funded travel for international exhibitions.

• When to Be Paid vs. When to Invest:

  • Be Paid: When a commercial business (like a restaurant, hotel, TV placement, or corporate collection) uses your artwork to enhance its own brand or revenue.

  • Invest: When you are actively building your own collector community, retaining buyer contact information, and keeping 100% of your proceeds.

• Booth Strategy: Practical ways to overcome self-representation anxiety and turn casual passersby into long-term collectors.

• Dismantling Art World Gatekeeping: Why nobody "knows everything" about art, and why owning your story matters more than traditional validation.

• What's Next for The Superfair: Upcoming national launches and how artists can get involved this year.

Listener Perk:

Save $250 on Your Booth: Mention Create when applying or booking to receive $250 off any booth with The Superfair.

Connect & Resources:

• Website: www.thesuperfair.com

• Book a Free Discovery Call: Schedule a 15-Minute Meeting with The Superfair

• Subscribe to Our Substack: Create! Magazine on Substack

In this episode, I'm (host Ekaterina Popova) joined by Bonnie Christine, fabric designer, artist, and founder of a multi-seven-figure surface pattern design education business. We talk about what it actually takes to turn a creative gift into real income, how to get started in pattern design even with zero experience, why she believes we have a responsibility to pass on what we know to others, and how she's built her life around her passion rather than the other way around. Bonnie shares the full story, starting in her mom's quilt shop, teaching herself Adobe Illustrator with no design background, and working up the courage to cold call art directors until a company offered her a contract.

In this episode:

• Turning a creative gift into real, sustainable income
• How to get started in surface pattern design, even with no prior experience
• Why passing on what you know is part of the creative journey, not separate from it
• Designing a life around your passion instead of the other way around
• Why she believes it only takes 10 seconds of courage to change everything
• Her "one thing a day" philosophy and the power of daily consistency
• What she's building now with Pattern+, Pattern Magazine, and Flowerie

Connect with Bonnie Christine: Website: https://www.bonniechristine.com Podcast: The Professional Creative

Stay connected with Create!:

Join our Substack for weekly stories, resources, and behind the scenes updates: https://createmagazine.substack.com

Visit https://www.createmagazine.co for artist opportunities, open calls, and more

What does it mean to feel seen? Five years ago, the Tracy Piper asked that question and turned it into SEEN, an ongoing portrait and storytelling project rooted in community and connection.

In this episode, we talk about how the project began, how she has used her practice to serve the people around her, and what it takes to keep a personal project like this going year after year. Now in its fifth year, SEEN includes over 250 participants and five published volumes, with a new book and exhibition launching this July at Art Tower in Portland.

In this episode:

• How motherhood led Tracy to start asking people what it means to feel seen
• The ritual behind SEEN, from open call to painting to exhibition
• Why the project is free to participate in
• What she's learned from five years and 250 stories
• Her new show and book launch in Portland this July
• Advice for artists building a sustainable creative practice

Connect with the Tracy Piper:

Website: www.thetracypiper.com

Instagram: @thetracypiper

Call For Art

We're currently accepting submissions for Issue No. 59, guest curated by Indira Cesarine of The Untitled Space, deadline July 31st. We're also celebrating our 10th anniversary with an art prize, deadline also July 31st. Learn more at www.createmagazine.co.

We share regularly on Substack at Create! Magazine, www.createmagazine.substack.com

Getting a gallery to say yes can feel like the end goal, but it's really where the real work begins. In this episode, Kat breaks down what makes a gallery partnership actually work for both parties, from the signs a gallery is genuinely invested in your career to the economics artists rarely get straight answers on. She also shares the questions worth asking before you sign anything, and how to evaluate a partnership you're already in.

In this episode:

• The signs a gallery partner is genuinely looking out for your best interest
• What to watch for early in a gallery relationship
• How commission splits, payment terms, and exclusivity actually work
• The questions worth asking before you sign
• How to evaluate a gallery relationship you're already in

Mentioned in this episode: Follow Create! Magazine on Substack: createmagazine.substack.com Submit to the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Art Prize: www.createmagazine.co/prize

This episode is sponsored by Hecho Lovely. Monica Mejia Davenport is a private painter, and Hecho Lovely is where that art becomes something you wear. Every piece is handcrafted from carefully chosen materials, carrying the same intention as her studio work. Discover the collection at www.hecholovely.com and follow the studio on Instagram at @hecholovely.

Enjoyed this episode?

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In this solo episode, Kat gets honest about a lesson she's still relearning 15 years in: protecting her own art practice. An inspiring gallery visit and a painful past experience resurfacing reminded her of what matters, how to protect it, and understand the value of our art and personal relationship to it.

What You'll Hear

• The artist's date that reminded Kat to get back to the pure joy of art
• Her past solo show cancellation, and what resurfacing it taught her
• Why not every gallery experience is a bad one, and how to find the right partners
• How her first sloppy 100-day challenge changed her relationship to painting
• Chasing validation vs. finding satisfaction in showing up

Join the Challenge

Kat's Spend More Time With Your Art Challenge starts July 15, 2026. It's a 21-day commitment to showing up for your own practice, open to any medium. It is not a painting course (though three of Kat's own painting examples are included), it's about reclaiming your relationship with your art, one small commitment at a time.

Join Spend More Time With Your Art →

Loved this episode? Send Kat a DM on Instagram or email [email protected], she'd love to hear from you.

If you have ever felt like you are running a marketing agency instead of an art practice, you are not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Alex Mitow and Sharone Halevy, the dynamic duo behind Superfair, now in their 11th year as one of the most artist-forward art fairs in the country. We talk about what they are witnessing in real time across the artist community, why burnout is at an all-time high, and what actually works when you strip away the noise.

We cover:

• Why social media has aged and what that means for your practice
• The concept of force multipliers and how to find yours
• What artists are doing that is getting in their own way
• Why in-person connection is the ultimate leverage point
• How to come back to life creatively when you are running on empty
• What it actually looks like to exhibit at an artist-forward art fair

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Book a free 15-minute discovery call with the Superfair team (mention Create! Magazine for exclusive listener discounts): https://calendly.com/d/cqt2-fkf-54v/15-minute-discovery-meeting

Learn more about Superfair: https://www.thesuperfair.com

Celebrate ten years of Create! Magazine with our first ever Annual Art Prize, open now through July 31: https://www.createmagazine.co/prize

Submit to our current open calls and stay up to date on everything Create!: https://www.createmagazine.co

Join us on Substack. Articles are free for your first seven days, and your support keeps us sharing artists, career tips, and resources with the community: https://createmagazine.substack.com

CONNECT WITH SUPERFAIR

Website: https://www.thesuperfair.com