The Create! Podcast

The Create! Podcast (formerly Art & Cocktails) is your space for inspiration, encouragement, and practical insight at the intersection of contemporary art, creative business, and mindset.Hosted by artist, coach, and Create! Magazine founder Ekaterina Popova, the show is designed to help you grow your art career, expand your creative vision, and build a sustainable, joyful life.Through candid conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, writers, curators, and thought leaders—as well as empowering solo episodes—you'll find tools, ideas, and stories that remind you that life itself is your canvas, and you have the power to create a career and future that truly supports you.Find us at www.createmagazine.co/podcast — where the conversation about art and business starts.

The Create! Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Ekaterina Popova, with 461 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Ekaterina Popova hosts The Create! Podcast, a arts show with 461 episodes published.

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  The Create! Podcast

  How to Price Your Art for Art Fairs and Sell More Work with Alex Mitow of Superfair

  Sep 24, 202649 min

  Thinking about showing your work at an art fair but not sure where to start? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Kat sits down with Alex Mitow of Superfair to go back to the basics of selling your art in person. Alex has helped more than 5,000 artists show their work across 40+ fairs. He shares how to choose your first art fair, why your hometown is often the best place to begin, and how to price your artwork so new collectors can say yes. You will also learn how Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) give artists clear, doable goals that lead to sales, like meaningful conversations and new email subscribers. In this episode, you will learn: How to choose your first art fair with confidence Why a local, low-stress first show sets you up for success What KPIs are and how artists can use them to grow sales How to price your booth with a mix of small, medium, and large original works Why accessible entry points help you build a loyal collector base over time Get $250 off your Superfair booth Superfair is expanding to Philadelphia and Boston and now offers multi-fair bundles to help you plan your year. Book a call with the Superfair team to find the right fair for your practice, and mention Create! Magazine on your survey and discovery call to receive $250 off your booth. Book your call: https://calendly.com/d/cqt2-fkf-54v/15-minute-discovery-meeting Keep learning on Substack Pricing inspired one of our most popular Substack posts, and we continue the conversation there. Subscribe to join our creative community and get more resources for your art career: https://createmagazine.substack.com Coming up in Part 2: Alex returns to talk about curating your booth, starting meaningful conversations with buyers, and more insider tips for art fair success.

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  The Create! Podcast

  Art Is Abundance: A New Way to Think About Art and Money

  Sep 17, 202621 min

  If you have been feeling hopeless or down about your art career, you are not alone. This episode comes straight from the heart, and it is an invitation to rekindle even the tiniest spark of hope that incredible things are ahead, no matter where you are right now. As I reflect on 10 years of Create! Magazine and 10 years of working for myself, I keep coming back to basics. Expecting support before I know how it will arrive. Noticing the opportunities I do have, even when things are not perfect. And paying attention to the whole picture, because just like in nature, something is always growing even when other things look like they are dying. I share my own recent season of negativity, the moment a friend lovingly told me I give up too quickly, and the small, unglamorous example of a HYROX race that reminded me how cause and effect really works. When you show up, even imperfectly, even for 10 minutes, results follow. This one includes a little tough love. If you are ready to come out of a fearful cycle and start showing up for yourself again, I hope it helps. In this episode Why our brains have a negative bias, and how the news and art market reports feed it Delete, generalize, distort: why "no one is buying art" is never the whole truth The law of cause and effect and taking responsibility for your success What a HYROX race taught me about showing up when it is not your top priority The friend who told me to stop giving up so quickly What follow-through looks like in a real art practice: the sketchbook, the newsletter, the pitch, the reel How catastrophizing keeps you from ever giving your work a fair chance Why micro habits beat marathons Allowing opportunities to find you, even in a slower economy Stopping three feet from gold, and honoring the months left in 2026 Why art is abundance: wellness, connection, self-trust, and income Daisy Fancourt's research on art and health (check out her book, Art Cure, and her episode on the show) Emotional regulation as the foundation of any selling strategy An introduction to my new program, Art Is Abundance Join Art Is Abundance Art Is Abundance is my new six-week live program for visual artists who want more abundance in their lives, both financially and in confidence. We cover the mindset and emotional regulation that make showing up possible, plus practical strategy for monetizing your work and getting seen by the right people, whether you want to work with galleries, run an independent practice, or build a hybrid career like mine. Six live Zoom calls, Fridays at 12pm ET, October 2 to November 6, 2026, with lifetime access to the recordings. Join this month and save $300. Join here: https://espopova.com/art-is-abundance-course Questions? Email me at info@createmagazine.com

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  The Create! Podcast

  From "Practical" Career to Full-Time Artist and Coach: Lacie Martinez on Motherhood, Grief, and Going For It

  Sep 14, 202628 min

  How do you find the courage to step off the "practical" path and fully commit to your creative calling? In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat talks with painter and coach Lacie Martinez about coming back to her creative voice. Lacie shares how her background in apparel design and kinesiology shapes her vibrant, richly textured figurative paintings. We talk about the vulnerability behind her debut exhibition, which celebrated the unfiltered, deeply connective realities of motherhood, and how she turned personal loss into a calling to hold space for other women. Lacie opens up about taking the leap into full-time art and how she now helps others move past limiting beliefs and live in full alignment. Key Topics Discussed: Reclaiming her identity as a painter after years on a "practical" career path Finding her way back to the canvas and working through the fear of not being "good enough" The story behind her debut exhibition and the connective threads of motherhood Turning grief into purpose by hosting retreats and creating safe, uplifting spaces for women Navigating the transition into full-time art and helping others build their dream lives through coaching Programs & Community Art Is Abundance Live Coaching Program If you love what you make and you're ready for your work to support your life, this six-week live program is for you. Together we'll work through money mindset, preparing your work for sale, selling your originals, getting seen by the right people, and building multiple income streams, then turn it all into a clear action plan. Founding pricing is open through September 30. Join us this October: https://espopova.com/art-is-abundance-course Create! Substack Subscribe for more interviews, artist stories, and reflections: https://createmagazine.substack.com/ Connect with Lacie Martinez Website: https://www.laciemartinez.com/ Camp Conqueror Summer 2027 Retreat: https://www.laciemartinez.com/campconquerorawomensretreat Conquer & Crush 3 Month Challenge: https://www.laciemartinez.com/conquer-crush-3-month-challenge Substack: https://substack.com/@laciemartinez She Who Conquers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-who-conquers/id1805457551 Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laciemartinez.art Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_laciemartinez _ Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacie_shewhoconquers/

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  The Create! Podcast

  Intuition as Knowledge: Mastering Oil Painting to Bring Your Ideas to Life with Alonsa Guevara

  Sep 7, 202638 min

  A lot of us went to art school and never actually learned how to paint. We were told to go make something and figure it out, which is great, but it often leaves us limited by our ability to bring our ideas to life. If that's you, you're not alone, and this episode is a permission slip to learn something new if you feel stuck. My guest today is Alonsa Guevara, a Chilean American artist whose work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Forbes, Time Out New York, and VICE. I had the privilege of working with Alonsa and learning more organized ways to mix paint, organize color temperature, and more. On this episode, we talk about her evolution from conceptual work to more realism in her paintings, and she also announces her new course, Alive Nature, here for the first time. Focusing on florals, botanicals, and fruit, it spans seven modules and is built so a complete beginner can follow along. The waitlist gets first access and a discount. Doors open September 16 and close September 20. Links to join are below, and yes, I'm on that waitlist myself! Come find us on the Create! Magazine Substack too. That's where I share essays on galleries, pricing, and building a creative career you love. createmagazine.substack.com Links & Mentions Join the Alive Nature Course Waitlist: waitlistcourse.com/alonsaguevara Follow Alonsa Guevara: @alonsaguevara on Instagram Visit Alonsa's Website: https://www.alonsaguevara.com Episode Highlights The Reality of Art School: Why many traditional and contemporary programs focus heavily on conceptual thinking rather than the technical craft of painting. The Power of Observation: How practicing through careful study and copying helps build an internal visual library for future original work. Decoding Color Temperature: Understanding how subtle shifts in temperature can make a painting feel alive rather than flat. Intuition as Knowledge: Redefining intuition not as random luck, but as accumulated technical knowledge and experience. Inside Alive Nature: A breakdown of Alonsa's brand new online course designed for all skill levels, with step by step guidance on botanical and fruit painting.

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  The Create! Podcast

  Laurén Gerig: Painting Place, Memory, and a Sustainable Studio Practice

  Aug 31, 202634 min

  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

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