The Create! Podcast

Ekaterina Popova

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.

  1. -4 J

    Detours are Destiny: Chasing Dreams, Secret Art, and Approaching Business with Creativity with Nishant Jain (The Sneaky Artist)

    Sometimes the most meaningful parts of our creative journey are the detours — the moments when we think we've failed or lost our way, only to realize we've discovered something new. Like a labyrinth, life guides us toward the next best thing, often better than we could have imagined. In this episode, host Ekaterina (Kat) Popova sits down with Nishant Jain, also known as The Sneaky Artist, to talk about curiosity, permission, and finding beauty in the everyday. Nishant shares how writer's block led him to a thriving art practice, how he built a loyal global community through Substack, and why keeping secrets and creating privately can reignite your passion. If you've ever questioned your creative direction or struggled to share your art meaningfully in the digital age, this conversation will remind you that detours are destiny — and that creativity doesn't have to be loud to be powerful. 🖋️ About the Guest Nishant Jain is an artist, writer, and podcaster known as The Sneaky Artist. He sketches people and places in public spaces, capturing the quiet poetry of daily life. A former engineer and scientist, Nishant left academia to pursue storytelling full-time. His new book, Make Sneaky Art, invites readers to build a joyful sketchbook habit rooted in curiosity and play. Book Tour → The (Sneaky) Book Tour Buy the Book → Make Sneaky Art Follow Nishant → SneakyArt Substack ✨ Episode Highlights How creative detours become the path to purpose Reframing failure through curiosity and exploration Balancing art-making with building a creative business Why keeping a "secret sketchbook" protects your voice Building authentic connection through storytelling Thank you to Our Sponsor Welcome to the Jungle — Josh Brown's immersive exhibition — opens in New York City this November. For two days only, canvases pulse with color, hidden gazes peek from the leaves, and the city transforms into something wild, alive, and untamed. 📍 147 Broome St, NYC 🗓️ November 14–16 Join Josh Brown's studio list at joshbrownart.com for RSVP access, collector previews, and behind-the-scenes as the jungle comes to life. Interested in sponsoring The Create! Podcast or advertising with Create! Magazine? Contact alicia@createmagazine.com for information and options. 💖 About the Host Ekaterina Popova is an artist, certified master coach, and founder of Create! Magazine and Create U. Through her podcast and platforms, she helps artists and visionaries build joyful, sustainable careers on their own terms. Explore: createmagazine.co Learn: www.createu.co Read: Create! Substack https://createmagazine.substack.com Follow: @katerinaspopova @createmagazine

    36 min
  2. 24 OCT.

    Sneaky Ways Your Ego is Sabotaging Your Growth (and How to Shift It) + Q&A with Kat

    Hello, beautiful souls. Welcome back to The Create! Podcast with me, your host, Kat. In today's episode, I'm diving into a topic that's been deeply present in my own creative journey — the sneaky ways our ego can sabotage our growth and how to shift it. Our ego often shows up in disguise: through comparison, fear, doubt, or even the desire to "grow too fast." It's that part of us that tells us we need a certain number to feel safe or successful, that we "should be further ahead," or that our current progress isn't enough. I'll share how these patterns have shown up in my own business and art career — and the lessons I learned while reclaiming gratitude, trust, and presence in the process. Then, I'll be answering your amazing questions from our Create! community over at @createmagazine broadcast channel, including: How to handle taxes or debt while starting your creative business What to do during slower art seasons and how to prepare for them How to navigate criticism from friends or other artists And how to start attracting more collectors and buyers on social media Before we dive in, a quick reminder that enrollment is now open for my live coaching program, The Art of Money — a six-week experience designed to help you release money blocks, rewrite your money story, and step into a new level of abundance and confidence as a creative entrepreneur. We begin November 4, and I would love to guide you through this next chapter. 👉 Join here: www.thecreatecollective.com/money You can also explore Create! Magazine, discover featured artists, and stay inspired at www.createmagazine.co If this episode resonates, share it with a creative friend, tag me on Instagram @katerinaspopova, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new release. Thank you so much for tuning in — I'm so grateful for you. If this episode resonates, please leave us a review on iTunes, it means the world!

    30 min
  3. 14 OCT.

    Facing the Haunted House of Our Finances: How to Release the Ghosts Holding Creatives Back from Success and Abundance with Kat

    Hello, beautiful friends. It's spooky season, with cold mornings, hot coffee, and time to face the real ghosts that haunt artists and creative entrepreneurs: scarcity, unworthiness, dabbling, and fear of expansion. In this episode, we walk room by room through the haunted house of money. Kat shares practical tools, mindset reframes, and nervous system rituals to help you release fear, build self-trust, and transform your financial story into fertile ground for growth. Nothing is wasted. Even past mistakes can become compost for future abundance. In This Episode The ghost of scarcity and how to feel safe in success The phantom of unworthiness that hides behind perfectionism The spirit of dabbling and how to replace distraction with devotion The fear of expansion and how to stay grounded while growing Practical rituals for safety, clarity, and abundance Listen If You Want To Stop letting money anxiety control your art practice Reconnect with your creativity as a source of abundance Learn how to regulate your nervous system when success feels scary Feel empowered to charge your worth and grow sustainably Join The Art of Money If you're ready to heal your relationship with money, worth, and abundance, join Kat's live group program: 👉 The Art of Money: A Six-Week Coaching Program for Artists and Creatives Inside this experience, you will: Identify and release money blocks and old stories Build financial safety and self-trust Create practical structure for your creative income Learn tools to manage and grow your money with ease Program runs November through December. Spaces are limited. Connect & Learn More 🌐 Create! Magazine — Read new artist features, open calls, and creative career articles. 📚 Create! U Courses — Explore micro-courses for artists and creative entrepreneurs. 💌 Subscribe to Create! Dispatch on Substack — Weekly essays, artist spotlights, and creative business advice. 🎨 Follow Kat on Instagram — Daily art, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes updates. Disclaimer This episode is for educational and coaching purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Always consult a licensed professional for personalized guidance.

    32 min
  4. 6 OCT.

    Meet Your Shadow: How to Go Deeper in Your Creative Practice with Chelsey Pippin Mizzi

    In this week's episode, Kat is joined by Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, author of The Shadow Path, to explore how shadow work can deepen your creative process and bring more honesty and depth into your art. Together, they discuss how the parts of ourselves we often avoid might hold the key to the work we're truly meant to make. Discover gentle, practical ways to meet your shadow through tarot, dream journaling, and ritual—and learn how to see this work as a safe retreat rather than a confrontation. 🌒 Highlights What shadow work is and what it isn't How to meet and name your shadow with curiosity and compassion The creative power of what's hidden: why your "shadow" often holds your best ideas A gentle 10-week structure for working through The Shadow Path How shadow work can help you reconnect with authenticity, depth, and creative flow One simple daily practice to begin integrating your shadow today 🔮 Resources Mentioned The Shadow Path by Chelsey Pippin Mizzi Tarot for Creativity and The Tarot Spreads Yearbook by Chelsey Pippin Mizzi Tarot for Change by Jessica Dore The Artist's Way and The Listening Path by Julia Cameron The Artemisian — an educator and writer guiding inner work through archetypal studies and Jungian psychology, offering structured yet intuitive frameworks and tools for personal growth Jungian Online courses on self-portraiture and shadow work Upcoming Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow by Shannon of The Tarot Diagnosis Chelsey's website: tarotforcreativity.com Substack: The Shuffle Instagram: @pipcardstarot Sponsored by Create! Magazine This episode is brought to you by Create! Magazine, your destination for contemporary art, inspiration, and opportunity. ✨ Open Call: The Spirit World is now live! Submit your work to be part of our upcoming curated virtual exhibition and printed catalog exploring the mystical, spiritual, and uncanny. Deadline: October 31, 2025 👉 Submit your art at createmagazine.co/call-for-art 🖤 Connect Explore Create! Magazine: createmagazine.co Read our Substack: createmagazine.substack.com Join our learning platform: createu.co Follow Kat on Instagram: @katerinaspopova Follow Create! Magazine: @createmagazine

    34 min
  5. 2 OCT.

    Being a Magic Maker: Pam Grossman on Magic, Creativity, and the Enchanted Path of Art

    Welcome back to the Create Podcast. Just in time for the fall season, I am joined by Pam Grossman, a writer, curator, teacher, and practicing witch whose work beautifully bridges creativity, culture, and magic. Pam is the host of The Witch Wave podcast (called "the Terry Gross of witches" by Vulture), the author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power, and co-editor of Taschen's Witchcraft volume in the Library of Esoterica series. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME, and more. She has also organized exhibitions such as Language of the Birds: Occult and Art at NYU and spoken at institutions including MoMA and Columbia University. Her brand-new book, Magic Maker: The Enchanted Path to Creativity (Penguin Life & Hay House UK, October 14, 2025), is a guide to connecting with the creative force through ritual, history, and practice. It explores how artists and visionaries such as Hilma af Klint, David Bowie, Octavia E. Butler, and Leonora Carrington have used magic as part of their creative process, and how you can do the same in your own life. In This Episode, We Discuss Pam's creative roots and how she began merging her artistic and magical practices Misconceptions about witchcraft and how the archetype of the witch has evolved How Magic Maker links art and magic, showing that creativity itself can be a spiritual practice Practical rituals to protect your studio time and invite inspiration, from lighting candles to leaving offerings or simply asking for guidance The idea of "low frequency" and "high frequency" desires in art and business, and how to balance material needs with higher intentions Pam's experiences speaking at institutions like MoMA and casting a love spell on stage at Carnegie Hall with Jinkx Monsoon The role of research, fascination, and intuition when writing a book Artists who inspire her including Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Hilma af Klint, Max Ernst, and Kurt Seligmann Resources and Mentions Books by Pam Grossman Magic Maker: The Enchanted Path to Creativity (Penguin Life & Hay House UK, 2025) → Pre-order here Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power (Simon & Schuster, 2019) What Is a Witch (Tin Can Forest Press, 2016) Witchcraft (Taschen's Library of Esoterica series, co-edited with Jessica Hundley, 2020) Podcast The Witch Wave – Pam's long-running podcast on art, culture, and magic Exhibitions and Projects Language of the Birds: Occult and Art (NYU, 2016) → languageofthebirds.org Art of the Occult by S. Elizabeth (recommended resource) The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890–1985 (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1986) Artists Mentioned Hilma af Klint David Bowie Octavia E. Butler Leonora Carrington Remedios Varo Max Ernst Kurt Seligmann Create! Magazine Open Call We are now accepting submissions for our fall curated exhibition and catalog: The Spirit World. This virtual show explores the mystical, eerie, and uncanny, making it the perfect theme for the season. Deadline: October 31, 2025 What selected artists receive: inclusion in the curated online exhibition, a feature in the professionally designed print and digital catalog, a blog post on Create! Magazine, and a spotlight across our international platforms. 👉 Apply now at createmagazine.co

    31 min
  6. 23 SEPT.

    The 2025 Creator Stack for Artists: What's Working to Grow Business, How to Use Time Wisely, and Not Burn Out While Showing the F Up

    In this episode, I (host Ekaterina Popova) dive into what I call The 2025 Creator Stack for Artists. These are the four simple tools you need to build trust, grow your audience, and create consistent income without burning out. We are in what I call a trust recession. Algorithms keep changing, AI noise is everywhere, and collectors are more selective than ever. That does not mean your art business has to suffer. I am sharing what has been working for me this year, the lessons I have learned, and how you can lean into connection, trust, and real growth. 🎉 Special Announcement Create! Magazine is celebrating its ninth anniversary. To mark the occasion, we have opened our Call for Art for Issue #54, our anniversary edition. Selected artists will be featured in print and digital editions, on our blog, and across our social platforms. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2025. Submit your work here: www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art 🎙 What You'll Hear in This Episode I share what the trust recession means for artists and why it can actually be an opportunity. I break down the four pillars of the Creator Stack, including community platforms, email lists, AI workflows, and simple sales systems that support growth without leading to burnout. You will also hear how I have been using these tools in my own practice and how you can adapt them to fit your creative business. 🌐 Connect + Explore Create! Magazine → www.createmagazine.com Create U Courses → www.createu.co Instagram → @createmagazine | @katerinaspopova Substack → createmagazine.substack.com

    22 min
4,8
sur 5
34 notes

À propos

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.

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