Extraordinary Creatives

Ceri Hand

Extraordinary Creatives: The Premier Art Podcast Welcome to the Extraordinary Creatives podcast, your gateway to the world of exceptional artists and creative leaders who have defied the odds to make a significant impact in the arts and beyond. Hosted by Ceri Hand, creative coach, curator, and seasoned arts and business insider, this podcast offers a wealth of insights into art and creativity through in-depth interviews. Ceri’s extensive experience and genuine passion for the arts make every episode a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice. At the heart of Extraordinary Creatives is the belief that creativity is essential for success. However, it is the courage, confidence, and resilience to dare to be different that truly transforms the world. With her warm, playful, and straight-talking style, Ceri delves into the ideas, processes, mindsets, victories, and challenges of trailblazers who have paved the way in the arts. Ceri’s mission is to support 100,000 artists and arts leaders by 2025 by providing exclusive access to information, inspiration, and expertise. Discover the transformative power of art with Extraordinary Creatives. Tune in and follow so you don’t miss an episode!

  1. Trust Yourself - Do The Work First, Worry About Explaining It Later with Eva Sajovic

    14 HR AGO

    Trust Yourself - Do The Work First, Worry About Explaining It Later with Eva Sajovic

    Today’s episode is with the extraordinary Eva Sajovic, an artist whose art works provoke questions about labour, value, and exchange. We talk about how growing up with her grandma in the countryside in Slovenia shapes not just what she makes, but how she makes it and how that early encounter with political rupture still informs her resistance to spectacle, speed, and extractive systems.  We unpack the emotional, ethical, and practical labour beneath participatory work, and talk candidly about teaching, money, sustainability, and authorship. Eva shares what shifted during her British School at Rome fellowship, and what it takes to build a practice that can hold complexity without collapsing. She also reflects on joining the Artist Mastermind Circle, and why vulnerability is essential to getting the work into the world. KEY TAKEAWAYS Eva´s childhood experiences of scarcity and playing in freedom taught her to explore and be resourceful and that “makeshift” muscle is still at the core of her work.  When you move out of your body and into your head to “solve” the work, it tends to die. Instead let materials, repetition, instinct and sensation lead. Often, the images and ideas are already in your body, waiting for the right process to draw them out. If you work with people, factor in the emotional and ethical labour as part of the project, not an add-on. Build in support, debrief time, and clear roles.  BEST MOMENTS “Art is really about deep care and attention. About what you offer and what you are willing to hold.” “The images are in my body, not somewhere else. They are inside and they come out.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.evasajovic.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/eva_sajovic https://www.arts.ac.uk/whats-on/eva-sajovic-rise-and-fall-of-a-temple PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities, and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform) **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    1h 42m
  2. Working Towards Co-representation - Things to Aim For, Avoid and Know

    4 DAYS AGO

    Working Towards Co-representation - Things to Aim For, Avoid and Know

    Today we’re getting into co-representation, the realities of working with more than one gallery, and how to navigate it without damaging the relationships you’ve worked so hard to build. You’ve built a body of work that has momentum. You’ve shown commitment to your gallery. You’ve done the shows, the fairs, the dinners, the follow-ups. And now you feel ready to build internationally. Not as a vanity move. Not because you’re bored. But because your work feels ready to travel, and because you understand that long-term sustainability often requires more than one market.  So, you raise the question with your gallery. And instead of traction, you get drag. The response isn’t hostile. It’s not a no. It’s just… slow. This is where many artists start to doubt themselves. Or worse, start making moves quietly, without support, because waiting feels unbearable. This episode is for that moment. KEY TAKEAWAYS Wanting to expand internationally does not make you impatient or ungrateful, but moving without strategy, clarity or the consent and co-operation of your existing gallery can undo years of careful relationship building. Co-signing you into another territory carries real reputational risk for your gallery and for you and introduces complexity. Instead of quietly scrambling behind your gallery’s back, ask for a focused meeting, lay out why this territory and why now, and work with them to define clear criteria, a realistic timeline and a small pilot so co-representation becomes a shared, strategic project rather than a secret escape plan. Use the scripts Ceri shares to help you. BEST MOMENTS “Joint representation only works when there is deep trust, transparency and aligned strategy.” “Your primary gallery should lead on sales strategy and pricing coherence… This coherence is what builds confidence and protects your long-term value. “If the gallery is not acting, you need clarity, not patience without end. So, step one, ask for a decision, not a discussion.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com

    23 min
  3. 26 JAN

    Art Beyond Identity and Authorship with David Horvitz

    This week’s podcast guest is the extraordinary David Horvitz, an artist whose work has been exhibited at and collected by major institutions around the world. Witty, poetic, and nomadic, David’s work traverses photography, artist books, performance, mail art, sound, the internet, food, and natural environments, engaging systems of language, time, and networks. We talk about why artists should resist being burdened by identity or authorship, what it means to let work travel without you, why erasure can be as generative as making, and how attention, patience and trust shape a long creative life. This is an invitation to rethink how art moves, how ideas land, and why not everything needs to be planned and held tightly to matter. It’s juicy, so I hope you enjoy it! KEY TAKEAWAYS You don’t need a tidy label or style. Let your work move across mediums. Consistency of spirit matters more than a fixed “brand.” Protect your ability to change direction, even if it risks sales. Stop over managing meaning. Allow your work to circulate, mutate, and find its own audiences in its own time. Trust that small gestures, made with intention, can ripple far beyond what we can see. David reminds us that nerves and doubt aren’t problems to fix, but raw material: use that nervous energy, bounce half-formed ideas off people, and let that call-and-response sharpen what the work really wants to be. BEST MOMENTS “You don't have to be burdened by the image you've created of yourself. You could start over.” “Artists need to be inconsistently consistent, if you like, in order to have freedom to kind of roam and be like a free-range chicken.” “Once the work leaves your hands, you don’t get to control how it’s held.” EPISODE RESOURCES http://www.davidhorvitz.com/ https://www.instagram.com/davidhorvitz/?hl=en PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform) **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    1h 38m
  4. Regulation Is a Creative Skill: Why anxiety keeps artists busy but stops them finishing

    22 JAN

    Regulation Is a Creative Skill: Why anxiety keeps artists busy but stops them finishing

    Regulation is a creative skill - Anxiety keeps artists busy but stops them finishing. In the last episode, Ceri talked about the fact that you can't make work from a dysregulated life, that no amount of studio time will compensate for exhaustion, financial stress, unresolved anxiety, or a nervous system that never properly settles. Today, she goes a level deeper explaining why even when life is relatively stable, dysregulation still shows up inside the work itself, which is where a lot of artists get stuck.  Ceri demonstrates why artists need to stop waiting to relax after the work is done and instead regulate their emotional state before they step into the studio and shares how to do that. KEY TAKEAWAYS When your nervous system is dysregulated, your brain becomes conservative. It narrows options, avoids risk, and favours movement over resolution. So, starting something new feels safer than staying with something unfinished. Finishing means deciding, committing, being seen - For an anxious nervous system, which feels like danger. Your job as an artist is to walk into uncertainty on purpose and stay there long enough for something real to emerge. That’s emotional agility: the capacity to feel threat, doubt, visibility, and not bolt. BEST MOMENTS “Anxiety doesn't always stop you working. Sometimes it keeps you working endlessly so you never have to finish.” “Regulation is not the reward for creative work. It's the capacity that determines what kind of work you're able to make in the first place.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities, and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform) Join our free webinar on Wednesday 21st January 6.30pm GMT where we introduce you to the coaching programme, walk you through the online hub, coach live, and answer your questions: Register here. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KVucmw1WRd2bsBWgPEfn1g#/registration ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    10 min
  5. How Collectors Really Make Decisions with Beth Greenacre

    19 JAN

    How Collectors Really Make Decisions with Beth Greenacre

    Today I’m joined by the brilliant Beth Greenacre, a curator, advisor, and art consultant whose career has unfolded quietly but powerfully at the centre of the art world. Beth began working with David Bowie in her twenties and went on to oversee the care, exhibition, and eventual sale of his collection, revealing a deeply personal way of looking, collecting and living with art. Since then, she’s built a long-term, trust-led portfolio career advising private collectors, working with artists and estates, and curating exhibitions. In this conversation, we talk about how collectors really make decisions, how intuition is really deeply embodied knowledge and why holding work back can be an act of integrity. This is a rare, generous look inside how the art world actually works, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! KEY TAKEAWAYS Be present. Build relationships patiently. Share your work carefully. Trust that confidence is learned, not bestowed. Quality reveals itself over time, through deep looking, honest editing, and the courage to hold work back until it is ready to speak. Artists are not failing when recognition comes slowly. They’re building something with roots. Working with David Bowie taught Beth that confidence isn’t about hierarchy or bravado. It’s about shared commitment, deep listening, and respect for the work. BEST MOMENTS “My purpose is to acknowledge, celebrate and give space to the power of art to change people's perspectives.” “Nothing meaningful in the art world is built quickly. Not confidence. Not collections. Not trust.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.bethgreenacre.com https://www.instagram.com/bethgreenacre_london PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities, and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform Join our free webinar on Wednesday 21st January 6.30pm GMT where we introduce you to the coaching programme, walk you through the online hub, coach live, and answer your questions: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KVucmw1WRd2bsBWgPEfn1g#/registration ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    1h 32m
  6. The Studio Won’t Save You: You Can’t Make Deep Work from a Dysregulated Life

    15 JAN

    The Studio Won’t Save You: You Can’t Make Deep Work from a Dysregulated Life

    There’s a romantic idea that if you just shut the door, block the world out, and push through, the work will save you. That you can white-knuckle your way through exhaustion, anxiety, financial stress, hangovers, through everything else falling apart. For a while, maybe you can - willpower is powerful, but it is not infinite. Ceri regularly see artists trying to dominate their minds instead of supporting their nervous systems. Trying to overpower negative thoughts instead of changing the conditions that generate them. Eventually, something gives, leading to work that feels thinner than it used to and burnout. The studio doesn’t magically neutralise what you haven’t dealt with outside it. Your body, your mind, your fears come with you. In this episode, Ceri unpacks why being in the studio only works when the rest of your life is set up to support the quality of thinking your work actually needs. KEY TAKEAWAYS The studio won't save you if your life is dysregulated, but when your life supports your nervous system, your thinking deepens, your work sharpens, and finishing becomes possible. Work of depth, originality, risk and resonance doesn't come from distraction, so you do need long stretches alone. But every artist who has the capacity to go deep has support from others in their lives. BEST MOMENTS “Capacity doesn´t come from chaos.” “Making your best work is not about heroic effort. It's about building conditions that allow you to finish.” “Finishing our work is a good habit to develop. It boosts confidence.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February: Artist Mastermind Circle Application and take the next bold step. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform) Join our free webinar on Wednesday 21st January 6.30pm GMT where we introduce you to the coaching programme, walk you through the online hub, coach live, and answer your questions: Register here. (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KVucmw1WRd2bsBWgPEfn1g#/registration) ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    11 min
  7. Enchantment as Practice: Making Slow Work in a Fast World with Sophie Coryndon

    12 JAN

    Enchantment as Practice: Making Slow Work in a Fast World with Sophie Coryndon

    Sophie Coryndon learned early that craft is not decoration, but devotion, time, patience, skill, and care. Her work sits confidently outside conventional categories, moving between art and craft, history, and contemporary imagination.  This conversation is about enchantment in a disenchanted world, about beauty as a serious subject, about what it means to make work slowly with your hands, at a time when speed and visibility are rewarded above all else. We also talk openly about Sophie's experience of being part of the artist's mastermind circle, where she felt stuck before joining, and how having a space to think more expansively has shaped her work and decisions. KEY TAKEAWAYS ·      We're not separate from the natural world. We are of it. When we remember that, we start to see the magic in everything and capture it. ·      The art world is far more varied than it first appears. You don’t have to conquer it all  ·      Don´t be afraid to make slowly, to create work that needs privacy, darkness, and time before it is ready to be seen. BEST MOMENTS “What's in the way, is you - always. We are all holding ourselves back.” “Craft is a form of language. When someone takes the time to make something carefully that care travels - even across centuries.” RESOURCES https://www.sophiecoryndon.co.uk/contact https://www.instagram.com/sophiecoryndon HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.   ** The Artist Mastermind Circle: Ready to stop second-guessing and start building next level momentum in your art career? Applications are now open for the Artist Mastermind Circle—a six-month coaching programme for 25 mid-career artists serious about growing their income, network, opportunities, and confidence. Register by 6pm Monday 2nd February and take the next bold step - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6hXd1YpO5MvUq2oRqW3qyqte7BBn5CSkgHG76dXzBMbT66Q/viewform Join our free webinar on Wednesday 21st January 6.30pm GMT where we introduce you to the coaching programme, walk you through the online hub, coach live, and answer your questions https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KVucmw1WRd2bsBWgPEfn1g#/registration   ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/   ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/   ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com   ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    1h 46m
  8. You Can’t Build a Creative Life on Evasion

    8 JAN

    You Can’t Build a Creative Life on Evasion

    In this episode, Ceri explores the uncomfortable truth at the heart of a sustainable creative life - good mental health doesn’t come from avoiding hard things, but from learning how to move through them. It comes from learning how to deal with them, from building confidence, so that when life feels awkward, lonely, stressful, or uncertain, you won't fall apart or abandon yourself. Yet so many artists quietly organise their entire creative lives around avoiding discomfort. They avoid awkward conversations; they avoid going to private viewings alone. They avoid putting editing dates in the diary. They avoid following up. They avoid staying with work when it feels unresolved. Telling themselves that they're protecting their wellbeing, but often they're doing the opposite – shrinking their capacity. Ceri demonstrates why discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life, especially for artists and shares how to accept and embrace this fact and use it to build the career you really want. KEY TAKEAWAYS Avoidance of stressful situations feels like self-care. But over time, it shrinks your capacity - You can´t build a creative life on evasion. If you avoid the stress of editing, the stress grows. If you avoid the stress of being seen, it compounds. If you avoid the stress of committing to a direction, everything stays harder for longer. Most artists think confidence comes first -Then they’ll go to the show. Then they’ll talk to new people. It doesn’t. Confidence is built after you stay with the discomfort. After you walk into the room anyway. After you sit with unfinished work. BEST MOMENTS “Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life - not a side effect, not a failure, the price. And if you're an artist, that price shows up everywhere.” “Here's the problem, the things she's avoiding are the very things that will build her confidence.” “Avoiding stress increases stress. Learning how to cope with stress makes us more resilient, and that applies directly to creative lives.” ** If you’re muddling through the art world on your own, you already know the cost. Lost time. Avoidable mistakes. Weeks stuck on something that could have been solved in minutes with the right support. Inside the Ceri Hand Coaching Membership, you don’t have to do it alone. Each week you can bring whatever you’re facing, and I’ll help you cut through it fast. Creative blocks, pricing, pitches, confidence dips, applications, all of it. You’ll find clarity, and an international artist community, and real guidance from people who understand your world. Join for £10 per month. Cancel anytime. And stop losing years to guesswork. Just sign up here: http://cerihand.com/membership HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network ** Book a Discovery Call To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

    13 min

About

Extraordinary Creatives: The Premier Art Podcast Welcome to the Extraordinary Creatives podcast, your gateway to the world of exceptional artists and creative leaders who have defied the odds to make a significant impact in the arts and beyond. Hosted by Ceri Hand, creative coach, curator, and seasoned arts and business insider, this podcast offers a wealth of insights into art and creativity through in-depth interviews. Ceri’s extensive experience and genuine passion for the arts make every episode a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice. At the heart of Extraordinary Creatives is the belief that creativity is essential for success. However, it is the courage, confidence, and resilience to dare to be different that truly transforms the world. With her warm, playful, and straight-talking style, Ceri delves into the ideas, processes, mindsets, victories, and challenges of trailblazers who have paved the way in the arts. Ceri’s mission is to support 100,000 artists and arts leaders by 2025 by providing exclusive access to information, inspiration, and expertise. Discover the transformative power of art with Extraordinary Creatives. Tune in and follow so you don’t miss an episode!

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