The Creative Kind

This week I’m joined by two returning guests, Wendy Marinich and Lucy Hersey, who answered questions that have come in from listeners over the past year. Wendy is a West Australian painter who paints with a mid-century modern twist, drawing on nostalgia and experimenting with memory and colour. Lucy is a painter from Loch in regional Victoria who came to art from scientific research and now lives on a cattle farm, where she makes earth paintings by grinding local soil, rocks and clay into her own paint.I enjoyed their conversation about how to find your people when you haven’t come through art school, whether imposter syndrome ever really goes away, and what to look for in a mentor. We also get into the pressure to make your work make sense as a neat story, how much of the messy, unfinished side of your practice to share, and how they’re thinking about AI and protecting their work online. We finish with pricing mistakes, moments of considering stepping back from being an artist, guilt and rest, and whether it’s possible to be ambitious without constantly feeling dissatisfied. I loved hearing where Wendy and Lucy agreed, the different ways they approached each question, and how openly they shared the less polished parts of their practices.If you have a question for the podcast, you can ask it here (or send me an email or DM).You can find Wendy Marinich here on Instagram and here on her websiteYou can find Lucy Hersey here on Instagram and here on her websitePrevious episodes:Wendy Marinich: Building a Body of Work With Wendy MarinichLucy Hersey: Art Without a Commercial Outcome with Lucy Hersey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I’m joined by two returning guests, Nick Smith and Laura Brandon, who answered questions that have come in from listeners over the past year. Nick is the founder and director of N. Smith Gallery in Sydney, representing artists across Australia and exhibiting internationally through museums, art fairs and major projects. Laura is a Sydney based art consultant and artist mentor with over 20 years’ experience across art archives and collections, public art education and arts writing.I enjoyed their conversation about the questions emerging artists should be asking themselves, how much social media matters for representation, and what to do when your work is being copied. There were also questions about prizes, how much work to show a gallery, when to raise your prices and what promotion to expect from your gallery. We finish with what makes an artist hard to work with, pay-to-enter competitions, and the etiquette of approaching a gallery or asking an arts professional for advice.I loved hearing where Nick and Laura agreed, how they built on each other’s answers, and the different perspectives they brought to this conversation.If you have a question for the podcast, you can ask it here (or send me an email or DM)You can find Nick Smith here on Instagram and here at N. Smith Gallery Instagram & WebsiteYou can find Laura Brandon here on Instagram and here on her websitePrevious episodes:Nick Smith: What Does it Mean to Represent an Artist - With Nick SmithLaura Brandon: Opportunities Beyond the Gallery Wall with Laura Brandon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Creative Kind I’m joined by curator, writer and arts mentor Amber Creswell Bell. During the year I have been collecting a whole lot of questions from listeners, so in this Q&A epsiode, we cover a wide range of things: from galleries and art prizes to pricing your work and building a career independently.Some of the questions came in around knowing when inspiration becomes too close to copying, developing your own visual language, what to do with a studio full of unsold work, and how to manage relationships with galleries. Amber has a very practical way of looking at these things, and there are lots of good reminders here about doing your research, asking questions and being clear about what you actually want.You can find my previous episode with Amber here: What Matters (and What Doesn’t) for Artists in 2026 with Amber Creswell BellFind Amber Creswell Bell here on instagram and here on her websiteFind The National Emerging Art Prize here on instagram and here on the websiteFind The Emerging Art Fair here on instagram and here on the websiteRecommendation:Genevieve Carroll at King Street Gallery, Sydney website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I'm talking with Joshua Brew, an Australian artist working on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja country in Perth. Joshua explores contemporary masculinity in his graphite drawings. His practice looks at identity & vulnerability, often turning the focus inward and using his own body as his subject, examining what it means to see and be seen.Joshua and I talk about his experience of being an emerging artist while balancing a full-time teaching job, a relationship, a mortgage and everything else that comes with life after art school. We talk about how he finds time to make work, using deadlines and awards to create structure, and making his practice more manageable by working at a smaller scale.Joshua discusses his ongoing exploration of masculinity and his interest in making different representations of male bodies visible. We also talk about life drawing, community, experimentation and giving yourself permission to play. Joshua shares some of the artists, books, shows and other things that have influenced or interested him, and talks about the challenge of believing that what you have to say is worth saying while also seeing the opportunities that come with being at an emerging stage of an art practice.You can find Joshua here on instagram and here on his websiteMentioned in this episode:Book- How to Art by Kate BryantTV Shows: The Great Pottery Throw Down & AdultsAndrew Sleeman on The Creative Kind Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm joined by two returning guests, Sarah Birtles and Rachael Parsons, who answered questions that have come in from listeners over the past year. Sarah is an art dealer and director of Sarah Birtles Gallery, who recently opened a new space in Springwood in the Blue Mountains. Rachael is the director of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), marking 10 years in the role this year.We get into a lot of ground: what question emerging artists should actually be asking themselves, whether you need formal art training to be taken seriously, what happens when work doesn't sell at a gallery, and the sometimes-blurry line between decorative and fine art. We also talk about how much artists should share of their personal lives online, how to navigate working across different subjects or genres without losing collectors, and a discussion on AI, where it's a useful tool and where it isn't. We finish with practical advice on how to approach a gallerist or curator for feedback.This season is going to be made up of interviews plus a few Question and Answer episodes from different artists and arts professionals, and like Sarah and Rachael, they will all bring really different vantage points.I loved hearing both Rachael and Sarah’s answers today, what they agreed on, how they built on what each other said and their different perspectives from both the commercial and public gallery sectorsIf you have a question for the podcast, you can ask it here (or send me an email or dm)You can find Sarah Birtles here on Instagram and here on her websiteYou can find Rachael Parsons here on Instagram and here at NERAM Previous episodes: Rachael Parsons: Copy That: Rachael Parsons on copying in Art, copyright & AI Sarah Birtles: Art Fairs with Sarah Birtles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.auAnita has an upcoming exhibition titled 'Shaped By Weather' with Michael Reid Southern Highlands from 17th September to 18th October 2026Mentioned: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.

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 herePeople and places mentionedThe 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 hereThanks 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.

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 GalleryYou can find the podcast here on Instagram & here on SubstackIf you're interested in a video of this episode- you can find it on the Substack or on YoutubeThanks 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.

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.smithFind the Art Wank Episode with Nick here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I sit down with Rachael Parsons, Director of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), to talk about copying and copyright in visual art. We trace copying's long history as a teaching tool and talk about the point where it tips over into forgery or passing someone else's work off as your own. Rachael breaks down what copyright law actually protects (a specific artwork) versus what it doesn't (style, colour palette, subject matter). We discuss how a reputation for derivative work can affect an artist's exhibition and grant opportunities & what artists can actually do if they think they've been copied. Rachael talks about some of the bigger historical cases of mass forgery & we also touch on the impact of AI in this matter- how training data complicates copyright, why some art prizes now have no-AI policies, and whether AI-generated art will end up as its own category altogether. Links mentioned:Find Rachael Parsons here on Instagram, and here at NERAMNERAM: https://www.neram.com.auTamworth Regional Gallery here on instagram and here https://tamworthregionalgallery.com.au  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.