The Creative Couch with Sam Marshall

Sam Marshall

The Creative Couch is a podcast about creativity, doubt, and finding your own way of making work. Hosted by artist and coach Sam Marshall, it’s a place to talk honestly about making work, staying connected to creativity, and building confidence over time.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Episode 12: Instagram Burnout, Pricing and Creative Pressure

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Dana, Lou and Alan – exploring the frustration of Instagram, the fear around raising prices, and the pressure of making the most of a creative opportunity. Dana runs a small creative business making lino prints inspired by coastal architecture and tide lines, and once found Instagram a really supportive place to share her work. But as the platform has changed, her reach has dropped, growth has stalled, and the pressure to keep up with reels, trends and constant posting has started to take over. What once felt like connection now feels like performance, leaving her questioning both her work and her place on the platform. How do you continue using Instagram without letting it drain your energy or define your sense of progress? Lou has been running creative workshops that are gaining momentum, with returning participants and fuller classes, but financially things aren’t adding up. After factoring in travel, materials and venue commissions, she’s barely paying herself, yet feels nervous about raising her prices in case it puts people off or disrupts the growth she’s seeing. When is the right time to increase your prices, and how do you do it without losing the people who already support you? Alan has rebuilt his creative practice later in life and is now developing his work through printmaking, selling at markets and running workshops. He’s recently been accepted onto an artist residency, giving him two weeks of dedicated time and space to make work. But instead of feeling free, he feels torn between planning too rigidly and risking failure, or going in unprepared and wasting the opportunity. How do you approach something like this without turning it into a test, and how do you balance structure with spontaneity? In this episode, I explore: • Why your relationship with Instagram matters more than the algorithm  • How expectations around visibility and growth can quietly drain your energy  • The difference between being busy and being financially sustainable  • Why underpricing often comes from fear rather than strategy  • How to approach opportunities without turning them into something to get “right”  • Why structure and spontaneity aren’t opposites, and how they can support each other Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    45 min

  2. 28 APR

    Episode 11: Accuracy, Creative Pressure and Overthinking

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Marilyn, Rachel and Jill – exploring the pressure to draw accurately, the weight of creative expectations after a big life change, and the paralysis that comes from overthinking and too many ideas. Marilyn has loved art her whole life but still feels held back by a voice that tells her her drawings must look exactly like what she sees. After discovering a more expressive way of working, something clicked, but she’s struggling to move away from accuracy and trust her own choices. How do you draw with confidence when you’ve spent years believing there’s a “right” way to do it, and how do you begin to work more freely with colour and mark-making? Rachel recently stepped away from a long and intense career to create more space for printmaking, but an upcoming exhibition has left her feeling overwhelmed rather than inspired. With her confidence shaken and pressure building, she’s questioning whether she’s ready at all, and feels she needs to create an entirely new body of work to prove herself. How do you approach opportunities like this without turning them into a test, and how do you move forward when everything suddenly feels like it matters too much? Jill has reached a stage in life where she finally has time to focus on her creativity, but instead of making, she finds herself stuck in overthinking. With multiple mediums, endless ideas, and questions around time, purpose and choosing the “right” project, she hasn’t started anything at all. How do you begin when everything feels important, and how do you stop thinking and start making without needing everything to make sense first? In this episode, I explore: • Why accuracy can become a limitation rather than a guide in drawing  • How early experiences shape the way we approach our work, often without us realising  • The pressure that can follow a big life change, and how it can quietly block creativity  • Why you don’t need a whole new body of work to move forward  • How overthinking and too much choice can stop you from beginning  • Why the idea of a “why” can sometimes become unhelpful rather than supportive Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    36 min

  3. 21 APR

    Episode 10: Presentations, Too Many Directions and Shipping Artwork

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Magdalena, Carrie and Jennifer – exploring public speaking nerves, feeling pulled in too many creative directions, and the practical realities of shipping artwork. Magdalena reached out after hearing me talk about that moment of self-awareness when you suddenly realise you’re the one leading the room. With a presentation coming up, she’s feeling anxious about being the focus of attention and how to manage the pressure that comes with it. How do you stay steady when all eyes are on you, and how do you work with nerves rather than against them? Kari is preparing for a group exhibition and finds herself developing three different bodies of work at once. The direction that excites her most also feels the most uncertain, leaving her torn between playing it safe with work she knows will resolve, or taking a risk on something more personal. Alongside this, she’s struggling with comparison, as others around her seem to produce finished, saleable work with ease. How do you commit to a direction when time is limited, and how do you protect the work that matters most? Jennifer feels ready to begin selling her artwork, but is held back by the practical challenge of shipping. She’s unsure how to safely package different types of work, whether it’s safe to roll pieces, and how to approach charging for postage. How do you confidently send your work out into the world, knowing it will arrive safely? In this episode, I explore: • Why self-awareness can suddenly turn into nerves when you’re being seen, and how to reframe that moment  • The difference between teaching and presenting, and how to approach each with more ease  • How to separate developing new work from preparing for an exhibition  • Why the most meaningful work often feels the least resolved  • Simple, practical ways to package and ship different types of artwork  • How to keep shipping and pricing straightforward without overcomplicating it Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    35 min

  4. 14 APR

    Episode 9: Starting to Sell, Losing Interest and Studio Block

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Becky, Emeline and Addy – exploring how to start selling your work, what to do when interest fades after success, and how to navigate creative block in a studio space that no longer feels supportive. Becky is ready to start selling her hand printed cards and watercolour sketches, but feels overwhelmed by the number of decisions involved. From choosing what to sell to setting up an online shop, she finds herself stuck in the thinking stage and unsure how to begin. How do you move from intention into action without getting paralysed by trying to do everything “properly” from the start? Emeline describes a pattern in her work where she becomes deeply engaged in the early stages of an idea, experimenting and discovering something new, only to lose interest once the work becomes successful and repeatable. As she moves between different ideas and mediums, she’s left feeling as though she’s not fully invested in any one direction. How do you stay with your work without losing the sense of energy and discovery that made it exciting in the first place? Addy has recently rented a studio so she can create away from her small flat, but instead of feeling motivated, she finds herself avoiding the space altogether. Without the structure she’s used to from courses, and with the added pressure of the cost, the studio has started to feel more like a burden than a support. How do you begin again when a space meant to help you feels intimidating, and how do you know if it’s actually the right setup for you? In this episode, I explore: • Why overwhelm often appears at the point of starting something new, and how to move through it  • How to take small, practical steps towards selling your work without overthinking the process  • The natural rhythms of a creative practice, and why repetition can drain energy from your work  • How to build continuity in your practice even when your ideas and mediums change  • What I call “studio shackles” and how a studio can sometimes create pressure rather than freedom  • Ways to reintroduce structure, rebuild momentum, and make a creative space feel usable again Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    29 min

  5. 7 APR

    Episode 8: Copyright, Creative Travel and Going Viral

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Liz, Ziva and Lucy – exploring ownership and boundaries online, creativity through travel, and what happens when success starts to feel like a trap. Liz has been sharing her embroidery and stitch work online and has recently discovered her images being shared on Pinterest without permission or credit. While part of her feels flattered that her work is resonating, she’s also uncomfortable with how it’s being used. How do you navigate the tension between visibility and ownership, and decide whether to ignore it, address it, or take action? Ziva is a landscape architect who discovered ceramics through an unstructured journey in Japan. Now she’s questioning whether future creative trips should be planned with intention or left open to unfold naturally. How do you balance structure and spontaneity, and create the right conditions for creativity to emerge while travelling? Lucy is a mixed media artist whose account grew rapidly after one piece of work went viral. What once felt like a small, connected community now feels overwhelming, and the work that brought her success no longer feels aligned with her practice. How do you move on from the thing that “worked”, especially when it might mean losing followers, engagement, or a sense of security? In this episode, I explore: • The tension between being seen and having control over your work online  • When to set boundaries and how to respond when your work is shared without permission  • Why creativity doesn’t come from a lack of planning, but from attention and openness  • How to balance structure and spontaneity when travelling creatively  • What happens when success becomes pressure, and how to recognise when you’ve outgrown it  • Letting go of numbers, expectations, and audiences that no longer align with your practice Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    37 min

  6. 2 APR

    Episode 7: Too Many Ideas, Letting Go of Old Work and Finding Time to Draw

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Lucille, Siobhan and Sam.  exploring creative paralysis, letting go of old work, and how to build a meaningful practice in very limited time. Lucille has a rich and varied creative life, working across drawing, printmaking, basket weaving and decorative painting. But instead of feeling energised by her ideas, she often feels paralysed by them. She finds herself starting work and abandoning it when it doesn’t match what she imagined, and questioning the point of making anything if it isn’t going to be sold or gifted. How do you move forward when creativity starts to feel tied to purpose, pressure and past experiences? Siobhan’s dilemma is about what happens after the work is made. After decades of keeping sketchbooks, studies and prints, she now feels surrounded by accumulated work and unsure what to keep, what to let go of, and whether photographing everything is the answer. How do you balance memory, sentimentality and space without becoming overwhelmed by your own archive? Sam is balancing a creative practice alongside work and raising two young children, often drawing in short windows of time. While she’s consistent, she feels stuck with repetitive subject matter and struggles to move her sketchbook work into something more developed. How do you find engaging subject matter, move beyond safe motifs, and build depth when time and energy are limited? In this episode, I explore: • Why creativity can become tied to outcome, and how to reclaim making for its own sake  • How past experiences and judgement can shape the way we approach our work  • Letting go of old artwork without losing your sense of creative identity  • How to keep a meaningful archive without becoming overwhelmed  • Finding more engaging subject matter within tight time constraints  • Simple ways to move from sketchbook work into more developed ideas Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    34 min

  7. 24 MAR

    Episode 6: Drawing in Public, Getting Started and Taking Yourself Seriously

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Julie, Caroline and Kerry – exploring how to handle being watched while drawing in public, how to get started when you suddenly have all the equipment, and how to stop postponing taking yourself seriously as an artist. Julie has recently started drawing outside and quickly discovered something many sketchers experience. As soon as you sit down with a sketchbook in public, people become curious. They stop, they look, and they ask what you’re drawing. She noticed that in those moments she instinctively starts apologising for her work, even though she thought she felt quite confident. Why does drawing in public feel so vulnerable, and how do you handle those interactions without undermining yourself? Caroline has been given a Hawthorn printing press. She’s done lino workshops in the past and has plenty of ideas saved, but now that the press is sitting in her studio she feels overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. How do you move past that feeling of “all the gear and no idea” and actually start enjoying the process of making again? Kerry describes something many creatives quietly carry. From the outside, it looks as though she already has a creative practice. She makes work regularly, she thinks about it constantly, and it matters deeply to her. But internally she feels as though she hasn’t quite arrived yet, telling herself she’ll take her work seriously once she’s more organised, more skilled, more consistent. How do you stop postponing your creative life and begin inhabiting it now? In this episode, I explore: • Why drawing in public can feel vulnerable, and how to handle being watched  • Letting go of apologising for your work and building quiet confidence  • How to get started when you have the tools but feel overwhelmed  • The importance of play and experimentation in printmaking  • Why creative identity is built through action, not arrival Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    26 min

  8. 17 MAR

    Episode 5: Multiple Jobs, Creative Loneliness and Changing Direction

    In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Helen, Sue and Liz – exploring how to organise a creative life when you have multiple roles, how to navigate a shift in your artistic direction, and how to find creative community when making work alone starts to feel lonely. Helen wrote in after listening to the first episodes and asked a question many creatives will recognise. Like many artists, she doesn’t just have one job. Her week includes teaching, administration, communication and making her own work. How do you structure your days so that creative work doesn’t constantly get pushed aside by everything else that needs doing? Liz’s dilemma touches on something many artists feel but rarely say out loud: loneliness in the studio. She used to attend a wonderful weekly textile course where students learned alongside each other and were even working towards a shared exhibition. When Covid arrived the group dissolved and never quite reassembled. Since then she has taken online courses, but they never quite replace the feeling of being in a room with other creatives. How do you rebuild real creative community in a world that increasingly feels online? Sue has built a strong practice around one particular medium. Over the years she has become known for this way of working, and importantly the work sells. She has collectors who buy it and a gallery that regularly takes pieces from her. But recently she has felt a strong pull towards something completely different. How do you know whether a new direction is a genuine evolution in your practice, or simply a distraction that could destabilise something you’ve spent years building? In this episode, I explore: • How to structure your time when you have multiple creative roles  • Protecting studio time from admin and teaching work  • Navigating the tension between artistic evolution and financial stability  • Why creative practices naturally shift over time  • Practical ways to rebuild creative community and companionship Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

    34 min
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5
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17 Ratings

About

The Creative Couch is a podcast about creativity, doubt, and finding your own way of making work. Hosted by artist and coach Sam Marshall, it’s a place to talk honestly about making work, staying connected to creativity, and building confidence over time.

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