The Creative Kind

Julie Battisti

The Creative Kind is a visual arts podcast built around listener questions, explored with artists and art professionals. An artist-led conversation that goes into the grey areas of visual art and the creative life. Find me here on instagram: @thecreativekindpodcast Or on Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 11 hr ago

    Change, Risk and New Beginnings with Anita Phillips

    Anita Phillips is a West Australian landscape painter raised on a Wheatbelt farm, who spent close to four decades as a home economics teacher before painting became her full-time focus. In this conversation she talks about selling her Perth home, resigning from teaching, and moving to the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong and what she expects to change, and not change, in her and her work once she's away from the landscape she's painted for most of her career. Anita talks through how her practice has developed and shifted over time, the role travel has played, the residencies that sparked real change in her, and how drawing and journalling became central to her process alongside painting. She also discusses the role of her circle of artist friends have played throughout her career and how those friends have supported her, mentored her early on, and given her the confidence to make this move. She also talks about the mentoring she sought out earlier in her career, and about the wider artist community she's built through Instagram and residencies. Find Anita Phillips here on instagram and here : anitaphillips.com.au Anita has an upcoming exhibition titled 'Shaped By Weather' with Michael Reid Southern Highlands from 17th September to 18th October 2026 Mentioned: Carly Le Cerf : here on instagram and here carlylecerf.com.auJulz Beresford: here on instagram and here julzberesford.comLauren (Elise) Kennedy: here on instagram and here laurenelisekennedy.com.auSophie Perez: here on instagram and here sophieperezartist.com PS Art Space (PSAS):here on instagram and here psas.com.auMichael Reid Southern Highlands: here on instagram and here michaelreidsouthernhighlands.com.auBrisons Veor, Cape Cornwall (residency) — brisonsveor.org.ukWASPS Scotland (residency organisation, Skye and Shetland) — waspsstudios.org.ukSydney Contemporary here on instagram and here sydneycontemporary.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 31 Aug

    Changing Direction with Amy Stapleton

    In this episode I talked with Amy Stapleton about changing direction in her art practice. Amy has moved from painting gum trees and landscapes towards more abstract and experimental work. We discuss the difficulty of moving away from work that has been successful and how she has facilitated her practice to change.  Amy talks about burnout, the value of stepping away, and how a residency at The Corridor Project helped her reconnect with making. We also discuss exhibitions, art communities, building confidence, working across different materials and scales, and the challenge of creating without knowing what the outcome will be. We talk about comparison, success and finding your own voice, as well as Amy's interest in art history and looking at how other artists' practices have changed over time. Amy has an upcoming show ‘Do not go gentle’ with Side Gallery in Brisbane on October 8-17, where proceeds from sales will support Dangerous Females' work for domestic and family violence services.  Find Amy at her website here and on instagram here People and places mentioned The Corridor Project,Laura HornCynthia CopleyJulie BradleyIpswich Art Gallery - Sharing the National Collection (Rothko & Agnes Martin, on loan from the National Gallery of Australia) You can find the podcast here Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 10 Aug

    Mentoring with Laura Brinin

    Laura Brinin is back on the podcast, and today we're talking about mentoring. Laura is a curator and arts administrator, and one half of Side Gallery in Brisbane, and she also works at a university art gallery and does professional development with artists. We talk about whether Laura had a mentor herself, and the piece of advice she got early on that she now thinks was the best bad advice she's ever received. We chat about how to know when you're actually ready for mentoring versus when you think you need it, and why finding the right mentor matters. We get into the difference between mentoring and just getting feedback on your work, and whether mentoring should come through your gallery or sit outside of it. Laura talks through a couple of mentoring myths, what her own process actually looks like, and a mistake she sees a lot in early-career artists around niching down too soon. We also talk about finding your community, how she likes to run a group critique, what to do if your work starts looking too similar to someone else's, and how mentoring is usually structured in terms of frequency and length. Laura Brinin @laura__whoSide Gallery, Brisbane sidegallery.com.auDunedin Public Art Gallery You can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on Substack If you're interested in a video of this episode- you can find it on the Substack or on Youtube Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 3 Aug

    What Does it Mean to Represent an Artist - With Nick Smith

    This week I chat with Nick Smith, founder and director of N. Smith Gallery in Sydney to talk about what gallery representation looks like; What does a gallery really do? How do they decide who to work with? And what makes a gallery relationship successful over the long term? Since opening in 2021, Nick has built a gallery that represents 26 artists across Australia while exhibiting internationally through museums, art fairs and major projects.We talked about what representation means beyond simply hanging work on a wall. Nick shares how his team supports artists through pricing, museum relationships, public art commissions, publications, marketing and career planning. We also discuss what artists often misunderstand about representation, some of the ways artists can approach a gallery, what to include in an email and how artists living outside major cities can still get noticed. We also dive into international art fairs, the realities of running a commercial gallery, what happens when an artist's career plateaus, and why timing, trust and honest conversations are so important. One of the things I appreciated most about this conversation was Nick's willingness to talk about the relationship between artist and gallery as exactly that: a relationship. It's built over years, evolves over time, and works best when both sides communicate openly about their ambitions, expectations and challenges. You can find N.Smith Gallery at nsmithgallery.com and on Instagram at @n.smithgallery and @nw.smith Find the Art W**k Episode with Nick here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 6 Jul

    The 100 Day Project with Amanda Billing

    In this episode, I'm joined once again by Amanda Billing, who has completed several 100 Day Projects over the years. This time, she reflects on what happened when she spent 100 consecutive days working with clay, why she invited a community of artists to join her, and what she learned from watching dozens of people move through the same experience. We talk about why the 100 Day Project can be used to learn an entirely new medium, deepen an existing practice, or simply create space for something that's been sitting quietly in the background for years. Amanda shares why she believes the most successful projects aren't driven by external outcomes, but by deeply personal motivations that keep you coming back, even on the days when the excitement has worn off. Our conversation explores the reality of showing up every day: the boredom, the resistance, the unexpected breakthroughs, and the moments where you discover that the project isn't really about the work you're making at all. It's about the habits, stories and assumptions you uncover about yourself along the way. We also discuss what Amanda observed while guiding a group of artists through the process together. From experienced professionals to complete beginners they talked and shared their experience together - the uncertainty, self-doubt, periods where it felt like nothing was happening, and eventually, a growing confidence that extended well beyond the creative work itself. Amanda Billing is an actor, portrait photographer, and artist based in Auckland.  Find her at amandabilling.co.nz and on Instagram @amandabillingnz Find her 100 day project page here @_householdgods_ Mentioned in this episode: The 100 Day Project is run by Lindsay Jean Thompson. Find the Instagram at @dothe100dayproject and the Substack at the100dayproject.substack.com.Wendy Mac find her substack here and her instagram hereThe podcast Make Art Not Content : find the episode here and the Instagram here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 29 Jun

    Art Friendships with Sam Michelle & Debbie Mackenzie

    Sam Michelle and Deb McKenzie met more then a decade ago when they were both given studios in a shared space through their framer. What started as five or six days a week working alongside each other quietly became one of the most important relationships in both their practices. In this conversation we talk about what it means to have someone who genuinely gets it, not just the excitement of a new show, but the pre-show spiral, the post-show crash, the gallery relationship you're not sure is right, the decision that feels too big to make alone. We talk about vulnerability and whether you actually move through self-doubt faster when you've got someone to be honest with. We talk about the art world feeling opaque and why having one person you can call and say "is this normal?" matters.  We also get into what it means to have someone who can give you an honest perspective without any competing interest, someone who knows what's normal in this industry and what isn't, and who will tell you either way. Find Sam here on her website here and her instagram here: sammichelle.com.au and on Instagram @sammichelleartist. Find my previous chats with sam here  Find Debbie McKenzie on her website here and her instagram here debbiemackenzieartist.com and Instagram @debbiemackenzieartist Find my previous chat with Deb here 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 22 Jun

    Inside the Affordable Art Fair with Georgia Huestis

    Most artists know the Affordable Art Fair exists. What it's actually like to be there as an artist, on the floor, in the booth, talking to strangers about your work for four days straight, is a different story. Georgia Huestis is the Fair Director of the Affordable Art Fair in Australia, with Fairs in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and she was so generous with information this week in our chat. In this conversation we get into the mechanics of how the fair actually works for artists, be it with a gallery, the collective model, the Young Talent program for unrepresented artists under 35. We chatted about the sort of support the fair offers around selling, hanging, and getting your booth to land. Georgia is refreshingly practical about what a slow day means, what a first fair is supposed to feel like, and why bringing someone in as your support person might be one of the best decisions you make. you can find Georgia on instagram here Plus find the Affordable Art Fair Australia here on Instagram and their website here The Melbourne Affordable Art fair is on soon- August 27-30 SYDNEY: 5-8 November BRISBANE: May 2027 Links Affordable Art Fair AustraliaGeorgia HuestisAlice Palmer Rich & Strange GalleryAngela Moritz Vandal ltd Rachel RushDiego FaivreClaudio KiracAnna Price 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About

The Creative Kind is a visual arts podcast built around listener questions, explored with artists and art professionals. An artist-led conversation that goes into the grey areas of visual art and the creative life. Find me here on instagram: @thecreativekindpodcast Or on Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.