What if standing in front of a work of art actually changed it?

That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Harriet Schwarzrock, an Australian glass artist who captures plasma inside blown glass vessels that respond to your presence. Move closer, and the light shifts. Touch the surface, and it intensifies. The viewer literally becomes part of the circuit.

Harriet is a doctoral candidate at the Australian National University researching plasma illumination as a responsive and relational artistic medium. Her work has been shown at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Berengo Studio in Murano Venice, and most recently in Fluid Presence at Wagga Wagga City Art Gallery.

We talk the role of the viewer, when she thinks about it, what it means for a viewer to complete a work and the interactions that happen when an artwork that can be touched or changes on approach. And we talk about what the role of human connection plays in the organic, vascular shapes that run through her most recent work.

You can find Harriet here on instagram and here on her website

Links:

• Harriet Schwarzrock: www.schwarzrockglass.com
• Harriet's 2026 Wagga Wagga Art Gallery Installation
• Harriet's 2021 National Portrait Gallery installation: portrait.gov.au
• ANU School of Art & Design
• Canberra Glassworks : canberraglassworks.com
• Steven Cole: stevencole.com.au
• Richard Wheater : www.richardwheater.com
• Emma Kate Heart :www.neon-hart.com
• David Haines & Joyce Hinterding: haineshinterding.net
• Richard Box — FIELD:

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Today on The Creative Kind, I’m talking to artist Lucy Hersey, who lives and works in South Gippsland, Victoria, creating paintings made from earth pigments she gathers and processes by hand.

Lucy’s work is deeply connected to landscape, not just visually, but materially. She collects clays, rocks, and natural pigments from the land around her and turns them into paint, creating works that are literally made from the places they depict.

But this conversation isn’t just about materials or process (though this might have to be a follow up episode!) We’re talking about something I think almost every artist wrestles with at some point: what actually happens when you try to make work without thinking about whether it will sell ? Artists hear that advice constantly “just make the work,” “don’t think commercially,” “follow the work” but the reality of doing this is usually more complicated then it sounds.

Lucy talks openly about the tension between commercial work and non commercial work, the strange freedom of being given permission to work without a sales outcome attached, as well as some of the other things she learnt about herself and her work through this process.

You can find Lucy Hersey on her Website: https://www.lucyhersey.com or on instagram here

• On Clarence Studios: https://www.instagram.com/onclarence/
• Latrobe Regional Gallery: www.latroberegionalgallery.com

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show

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In this episode of The Creative Kind, I’m joined by Jasmine Kroeze and Petrina Jose for a conversation about pivoting, what it really looks like to change direction creatively, professionally, and personally.

We talk about how Jasmine moved from fashion and textile design into mural work, why Petrina stepped back from painting to rebuild her branding business, and how both of them navigate the tension between following new ideas and knowing when something is actually worth pursuing.

We also get into the less glamorous side of creative careers, inconsistent income, burnout, rejection, overthinking, working for free, and the challenge of putting yourself out there when there’s no guarantee things will work. Jaz shares how she tracks opportunities, applications, and rejection rates in spreadsheets, while Petrina talks about evolving from painting into branding work, and how she’s learned to build creative businesses that genuinely fit the way she wants to work and live

Something I loved about this conversation was hearing how differently people approach ideas. Some ideas are fleeting experiments, some become careers, some need to be tested properly before you know whether they’re sustainable or simply a curiosity. We talk about why creative people are often drawn toward multiple paths at once, the pressure to “niche down,” and why sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself permission to try something without knowing exactly where it will lead. This episode also veered into a conversation about friendship and creative support systems - the value of having people around you who understand the realities of creative work, people who can workshop ideas with you, and can also tell you the truth when you need to hear it.

You can find Petrina Jose  here on instagram and also on her personal page here.

and her website here at www.heartsandeyes.com

You can find Jamsine Kroeze here on instagram and her website here: jasminekroeze.com

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show

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In this episode, I'm joined by three of the women behind Sunny Studios: painter Rachael Mayne, artist Hannah Radford, and interior stylist Julia Fowler, to talk about what it really looks and feels like to build and sustain a shared creative space.

We talk about how they found their large originally unglamorous space and why that was actually a smart move. What I hadn't expected going into this conversation was how much the shared space has changed each of their individual practices. All three talk about confidence; the kind that comes from having people around you who genuinely love your work, who'll give you honest feedback on a painting, and who will talk you down from an anxious spiral before it takes hold. Rach reflects on how working alongside others helped her lean into her biggest and boldest work yet. Hannah talks about learning through osmosis- watching an entire exhibition come together from the inside. Julia speaks about the shift of actually going to work, and what that has meant for how she shows up in her business and how her kids understand what she does.

We also talk about how they divide the space and costs, how admin mostly takes care of itself, the value of growing slowly and carefully, and why the personality fit between studio members matters more than you'd think.

You can find Rachael Mayne on her website and on Instagram. You can find our earlier chat on anxiety here 

You can find Hannah Radford on her website and on Instagram. 

You can find Julia Fowler on her website and on Instagram. 

You can find Sunny Studios on Instagram.

Thanks so much for listening, if this one resonated, send it to a creative friend who might need to hear it. And feel free to rate, review and share if you enjoyed it.

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This week I'm talking to Col Mac, a Brisbane-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice is grounded in painting but regularly extends into text, sculpture, and installation. His work explores time, place, memory, and history. Col has been a finalist in the Archibald Prize and the Brisbane Portrait Prize, with work featured in The New York Times and the Washington Post.

In this conversation we're focused on critique; the different forms it's taken across Col's practice, from design briefs and university critique sessions, to the regular group he's kept going with artist friends since graduating, to the more public feedback loop of prize entries and outdoor projections. We get into what happens when you action too much feedback at once, how to filter voices without shutting them out, and why a second set of eyes sometimes surfaces something in your work that you couldn't yet name yourself.

Find Col Mac here on instagram and here on his website. 

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show

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In this episode, I'm joined by West Australian painter Wendy Marinich. We discuss what it actually looks like to build a body of work when you're in the middle of figuring it all out. Wendy came to painting a few years ago, after careers in floristry, catering, and working as a pasta maker at a well-known Perth restaurant. In that relatively short time, she's developing a practice that has a cohesive feel to it, full of mid-century warmth, bold colour, and a real sense of considered intent. I've been watching her work evolve for a while now, and I wanted to bring her on to talk about the process behind that, not from a place of looking back, but from right inside it.

We talk about where ideas begin for Wendy;  that moment of instant clarity she had when she walked into her sister-in-law's house and saw a collection of vintage glass arranged by colour, and knew that was her next exhibition. We get into what happens when you have a clear concept but your instincts start pulling you somewhere else mid-series, and how she uses her body of work as a deliberate skills-building exercise. We also talk about the role of commissions, painting one-offs versus series, working on multiple pieces simultaneously, and why this year, for the first time, she decided not to book her exhibition before finishing the work.

Find Wendy Marinich here on Instagram and her website 

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review and share if you enjoyed it,  it really does help other people find the show.

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Today I'm talking with sisters Kass and Lauren Hernandez, the fibre artists behind Crossing Threads. This was an interesting conversation about what creative strategy actually looks like in practice; the real, week to week decisions that go into building a sustainable creative practice.

Kass and Lauren are first generation Australians of Filipino heritage, living and working on Wangal and Gadigal Land in Sydney. They create one of a kind fibre and textile artworks; tapestries, woven pieces, soft sculptures, and framed textiles for both residential and commercial spaces.

We talk about their weekly WIP structure (which they complete on Fridays and come back to fresh on Mondays), how they use Slack to communicate across the business, and why they time-track everything using Toggl. We get into how they filter every opportunity through a set of ROIs; financial gain, brand positioning, exposure, relationships, community, and creative growth; and why saying no is one of the most valuable things they do.

We also chat about what it means to work with your sister, navigating feedback, dealing with imposter syndrome, and how becoming mothers was ultimately the catalyst for going full-time.

This is one of those conversations that made me want to take notes! I hope you get as much out of it as I did. 

We mentioned a lot of different systems and tools in this one and you’ll find a complete list on the Substack post here. 

Find Kass and Lauren here on their website and here on Instagram.

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review and share if you enjoyed it, it really does help other people find the show.

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Sophie Vander is back, and this time we're going straight to your questions. Since Sophie's first appearance on the podcast back in August 2024, I have had a lot of follow up questions come in- it seems you had so much more you wanted to hear from her. So did I!

Sophie is the founder and director of Curatorial+Co, a Sydney-based contemporary art gallery and consultancy on William Street in Woolloomooloo. She works with a stable of 45+ artists (80% of whom are female-identifying), leads a team of 11, and juggles gallery exhibitions, an art consultancy arm, and international art fairs, all at the same time.

In this episode we cover a lot of ground, from the work Sophie saw at Art SG that completely stopped her in her tracks, to how she picks artists for international fairs, what actually puts her off an artist, and where she goes looking for new talent. We talk about the art market right now, honestly and practically, and what that means if you're an emerging artist trying to sell work. We chat about the gallery relationship; including the one thing she says almost never happens when artists come to her about representation, but really should.

Links and people mentioned:

• Curatorial+Co website: curatorialandco.com
• Curatorial+Co on Instagram: @curatorialandco
• Morgan Stokes: morganstok.es | @morganstok.es
• Theresa Hunt: @theresahuntartist
• Simon Cardwell: @cardwell.simon
• Lynn Savery: lynnsavery.com.au | @lino_savery
• Sophie Vander on the Build Beautiful podcast - here
• Sophie's first appearance on The Creative Kind: August 2024 episode
• 
  

Artworks that Sophie Mentioned:

• Citra Sasmite at Art SG
• Marina Abramović at Art SG
• 
  

For a more complete list- please check out the substack post here 

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with an artist friend, it genuinely helps other people find the show

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In this episode I’m talking with painter Alyssa Monks about how feedback, both internal and external, shapes an artist’s work and confidence.

We explore what kinds of critique have helped her over her career and how she learned to distinguish useful feedback from noise. Alyssa shares how critical comments that bother you can sometimes be the most revealing.

We also dive into the psychological side of creativity: transforming your inner critic from an adversary into a problem-solving partner, trusting your own vision while staying open to perspective, and why asking who you ask for feedback matters.

Alyssa reflects on navigating personal and professional critiques, choosing when to ask for input, and why hope and curiosity are essential ingredients in the studio.

You can find Alyssa here at her website:  alyssamonks.com,  Here on instagram

And here on Patreon

Video Available here:

If you'd like to watch this conversation, you can find selected episodes of The Creative Kind on YouTube and on Substack. Later this year I should be able to publish videos on Apple and Spotify and will update this feed then too.  

Just search The Creative Kind Podcast or follow the link in the show notes to watch the full interview with Alyssa.

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In this episode, I’m joined by artist and writer Diana Weymar, whose practice involves textiles, language, and collective participation. Diana is best known for the Tiny Pricks Project, an ongoing body of embroidered text works responding to political language, poetry, and cultural moments.

We talk about what it means to make and share work when the world feels overwhelming, and how artists decide what deserves their attention. Diana speaks about translating words into thread, the difference between reacting and observing, and why slowness can be a powerful artistic tool in a fast-moving information landscape.

We also discuss criticism, community, and the tension between wanting to speak out and recognising you can’t respond to everything. Diana shares how the project evolved from a small personal experiment into a global participatory archive of over 5,000 pieces, and why she’s comfortable letting a project change shape over time.

This conversation explores political art, creative responsibility, and the quiet but profound impact of making something by hand. We talk about uncertainty, nuance, and the idea that art doesn’t always need to resolve issues, sometimes it simply holds space for them.

Find Diana Weymar  here on instagram and also over at @tinypricksproject

and her website here at www.tinypricksproject.com

You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on substack

Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show

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