Totally Abstracted

Michelle Slee
  • 5.0 (2)
  • VISUAL ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In Totally Abstracted I share my processes as an abstract landscape artist, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how I create expressive, atmospheric art. Alongside painting techniques I explore topics such as overcoming creative blocks, managing time effectively, tackling perfectionism and finding balance in a busy life. Whether you're passionate about abstract landscapes or seeking inspiration and practical advice for your art practice, this podcast is perfect for artists ready to deepen their creative journey and embrace the courage to create authentically.

  1. 4D AGO

    Making Things Before You Know Why

    In this episode I talk openly about a phase I’m currently in as an artist where the work is arriving before the explanation. After years of being known for abstract landscapes, I’ve found myself increasingly pulled toward faces and figures, work that feels more direct, more confronting, and harder to immediately explain. Rather than rushing to define or justify this shift, I’m deliberately allowing myself to stay in the not-knowing, trusting the instinct that something important is forming even if I don’t yet have the language for it. I reflect on the pressure many creatives feel to stay legible, consistent, and publicly articulate at all times, especially once an audience exists. This episode is a defence of private experimentation, creative uncertainty and protecting the phases of work that need time, privacy and patience. If you’re making work that doesn’t fit your usual patterns, isn’t ready to be shared, or doesn’t make sense yet, this is a reminder that you’re not lost. You’re early. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is trust the work before you trust the explanation.

    12 min

  2. JAN 31

    When Confidence Matters More Than the Work

    This episode was prompted by Facebook memories resurfacing artwork I shared three or four years ago, work I once felt proud of, but now look at with a mix of embarrassment and judgement. I talk about how unsettling that feeling can be, not just because it makes you question old work, but because it makes you doubt your ability to judge your current work at all. What shifted things for me was realising that the confidence I had back then mattered as much as the work itself, it was the fuel that kept me making, sharing, and improving. Growth doesn’t come from waiting to feel “good enough,” it comes from staying in the process long enough for your eye to change. I share why I’m choosing to keep putting new, exploratory work into the world now, even knowing it might one day make me cringe, and why that discomfort is often the clearest sign that you’re still moving forward.

    8 min

  3. JAN 11

    When You're Blocked, Frustrated, and Doubting Yourself as an Artist

    In this episode I talk honestly about being blocked, frustrated, and doubting yourself as an artist, that horrible headspace where nothing works and your inner critic starts building a case against you. I share a story about a recent failed painting, how it spiralled into self-doubt, and the simple shift that helped me step out of it by changing direction rather than forcing my way through. This isn’t about fixing a painting or pushing harder. It’s about recognising frustration as information, not proof that you’re failing. I explore how harsh self-talk, perfectionism and fear tighten everything up, and why changing scale, tools, subject, or energy can give you breathing room again. If you’re stuck, questioning yourself, or wondering whether you’ve “lost it,” this episode is a reminder that you haven’t. You’re just in the messy middle of the cycle. And learning how to meet yourself there, with curiosity instead of blame, is one of the most important tools an expressive artist can have.

    11 min

  4. 12/05/2025

    Digital Play as a Path Back to Expression

    This week I’m talking about something that surprised me in my own practice: how returning to Procreate, a tool I haven’t touched properly in years, helped me break out of my old habits and finally start moving away from the horizon line. I share the unexpected guilt that came with using digital tools again, how the undo button can actually teach us more about our instincts than we think, and why digital play can open doors that feel stuck in traditional media. I also talk about the two digital pieces I created this week, how different they felt, and what they revealed about freedom, looseness and expression. If you’re feeling stuck or wrestling with a “default move” in your work, this episode is an invitation to revisit the tools you’ve abandoned and allow yourself the permission to explore again, in whatever medium helps you breathe. And if you’re drawn to expressive, intuitive painting, come join me inside Abstract Horizons, my creative community for artists who want to paint with more freedom and emotion. You can take a look here:👉 https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551

    6 min

  5. 11/21/2025

    Colour as Emotion: Painting Through Feeling, Not Formula

    In this episode of Totally Abstracted, I explore colour as instinct, not rules or formulas. It’s a conversation about what happens when your work looks fine on the surface but feels hollow underneath, and how your colour choices often hold the key to reconnecting with yourself. I share a personal story of losing my rhythm in the studio and rediscovering it through my “emotional home palette” of cool blues and violets, colours linked to memory, early mornings, healing and identity. You’ll hear about: The difference between painting from presence vs. painting from habit Why colour theory is a map, not the terrain How intuition guides palette choices more accurately than logic The emotional “weather patterns” behind your favourite colours How to use colour to reconnect with your work when you feel stuck I also offer a gentle prompt: choose your palette first and let it lead the painting. Listen now and and trust your colours. And if you’re drawn to expressive, intuitive painting, come join me inside Abstract Horizons - my creative community for artists who want to paint with more freedom and emotion. You can take a look here:👉 https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551

    10 min

  6. 11/01/2025

    The Layered Mindset: Learning to Love Process Over Perfection

    In this episode of Totally Abstracted I’m exploring what I call The Layered Mindset, a way of thinking that’s changed how I approach both painting and life. Every painting goes through that awkward, uncertain phase, the messy middle where nothing looks quite right and perfection feels miles away. But I’ve learned that this stage isn’t a mistake; it’s where the real art begins. Layers aren’t just physical paint, they’re records of choices, hesitations, and little moments of bravery. When we let go of the need for perfection, we give ourselves permission to stay curious. We start to enjoy the conversation between what we put down and what the painting offers back. And in that back-and-forth, something deeper happens: the painting begins to reveal itself. And I believe that embracing process over perfection transforms not just your work, but your relationship with creativity itself. If you’re drawn to expressive, intuitive painting, come join me inside Abstract Horizons. This is my creative community for artists who want to paint with more freedom and emotion. You can take a look here:👉 https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551

    12 min

  7. 10/19/2025

    The Power of the Catalyst: Tools That Change How You Paint

    In this episode of Totally Abstracted, I’m exploring something that changed everything about how I paint - The Power of the Catalyst. You know those rare moments when a single tool transforms not only your technique but your whole relationship with your art? That’s what happened when I picked up a catalyst wedge for the first time. I dragged that catalyst wedge through wet paint and something in me shifted. Painting became about movement, energy and discovery. I share how catalyst moments (and that can be from any new tool, new material or process shift) can mark a turning point in every artist’s story, a new phase of creativity and courage, where we embrace uncertainty, surrender control and allow the real magic to happen. If you’re curious about the catalyst wedge I always mention, or want to explore some of the tools that have shaped my own abstract landscape practice, you’ll find them all listed on my Studio Favourites page on my website. They’re the materials I genuinely use and love. Listen in, and maybe this week you’ll discover the tool that changes how you paint.

    8 min

  8. 10/12/2025

    What’s in Your Expressive Artist’s Toolkit?

    Season 2 of Totally Abstracted begins. The theme is “What’s in Your Expressive Artist’s Toolkit?” - a fresh chapter exploring the ideas, materials and mindsets that help us paint with greater depth, freedom and feeling. In this introductory episode I reflect on how my own toolkit has evolved from brushes and paint to include rituals, questions and creative habits that sustain expression. And I share what’s changed since Season 1, how my work and membership have grown, and what to expect in the episodes ahead. And if you’re drawn to expressive, intuitive painting, come join me inside Abstract Horizons - my creative community for artists who want to paint with more freedom and emotion. You can take a look here:👉 https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551

    4 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

In Totally Abstracted I share my processes as an abstract landscape artist, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how I create expressive, atmospheric art. Alongside painting techniques I explore topics such as overcoming creative blocks, managing time effectively, tackling perfectionism and finding balance in a busy life. Whether you're passionate about abstract landscapes or seeking inspiration and practical advice for your art practice, this podcast is perfect for artists ready to deepen their creative journey and embrace the courage to create authentically.

Information

  • Creator
    Michelle Slee
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Michelle Slee
  • Show Website
    Totally Abstracted