Paintbrush & Ivories

Running an Online Challenge Part 2

Having covered the planning and preparation phases of running an online challenge in Part 1 (Episode #27), Michelle and Jennifer dive into the delivery and follow up phases in this episode. From tips on how to manage all the daily activities and communications with your participants and focus on helping your people get the results they want, to closing the challenge and the follow up and reflection steps… it’s covered for you.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Teleprompter 3 app
• Mighty Networks
• Alina Vincent – https://businesssuccessedge.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/BusinessSuccessEdge/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Running an Online Challenge – Part 1

Online challenges can be a great way to grow your following and engage with folks who are interested in similar things and give back to your community. In this episode, Michelle and Jennifer step through what you need to think about if you are keen to run your own online challenge – what to cover as you are coming up with the idea and focus of your challenge and then what needs to happen in the preparation phase before you go live. This is Part 1 of their discussion about online challenges. Next episode in Part 2 will look at the delivery of the challenge and follow up phase after it has closed.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Tara Leaver’s #21daysinmyartworld challenge - https://www.instagram.com/taraleaver/
• Jean Thomson’s #the100dayproject challenge – https://www.instagram.com/lindsayjeanthomson/
• If you are interested in the next time Michelle runs the Money Mojo for Artists Challenge, go here
• Rory Vaden’s youtube clip – Best Selling Title Formula - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw4NEwytONU
• Alina Vincent’s website – https://businesssuccessedge.com/ & facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/BusinessSuccessEdge/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

On the Art Trail

Visiting art in the outdoors has become an experience many enjoy. Regional areas and cities have seen the potential and artists have embraced the concept as a way of reaching a wider audience. In today's episode, Michelle, flying solo, talks through her recent experience of being a part of her local art trail and open studios event. She talks through the things to think about when you are making the decision to be involved, how to make your work stand out in your application, what to do in the lead up and set up as well as how to maintain yourself through the event and after. There's lots to be gained from these experiences and well, just get yourself out there!

Resources and events mentioned in the episode:

• The Australian Silo Art Trail - https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/
• Murwillumbah Arts Trail - https://www.murwillumbahartstrail.com.au/
• Melbourne's street art - https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/art/where-to-find-the-best-street-art-in-melbourne
• The Intern with Ann Hathaway & Robert De Niro - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Celebrating the Mother Energy of Creativity

May is the month we celebrate Mother’s Day in the US and Australia. It also happens to be Mother Mary’s month and Jennifer celebrates her annual flight around the sun. In this episode, Michelle and Jennifer discuss the mother energy and its connection to creativity, how our relationships with our earthly mothers can affect our belief in ourselves and shape our path to creative expression.

Michelle announces her upcoming event ‘Money Mojo for Artists 7-day Challenge’ helping artists get more confidence in dealing with the financial side of their art biz.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Money Mojo for Artists 7-day Challenge - https://tinyurl.com/moneymojochallenge

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

The Power of Simplicity in Art & Life

On discovering a beloved poem lost for more than 30 years, Michelle has been thinking again about the concept of simplicity. In this episode, Michelle shares the poem by William Carlos Williams and what follows is a conversation with Jennifer around simplicity in art and life that covers music triads, colour palette triads, do-ability and the zen spiritual practice known as hitsuzendo.

Artists and ideas mentioned in this episode:

• Poem by William Carlos Williams - ‘This is Just to Say’
• The Imagist Movement of poetry
• Hitsuzendo, the way of the zen brush and enso circles
• Philip Guston (1913-1980), Canadian-American painter and muralist
• Spirit Art School is the live online monthly art classes with Jennifer, Michelle and other art teachers.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Beginner’s Guide to Teaching Creative Courses Online

For the past 2 years, more people have been staying home and searching for creative outlets. If you are an artist with an idea for an online art class, now’s the perfect time to dive in.

So, have you been thinking you want to create your own art course and deliver it online? Maybe you already have a course but are interested in learning what other artists are doing and how they approach the ideas and the technology wrangle. If you are a yes, then this episode is worth a listen.

Michelle and Jennifer talk through the ‘gremlins’ that might come up in thinking about diving in to teaching. They also cover how they go about deciding on their course content, the options for online teaching and hosting platforms for live and recorded workshops and the most important equipment you need to get started. At the end of the conversation, Michelle share more detail about the teaching platforms she’s investigated recently to help those wrestling with the all-important decision about which one to use.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Seven Sacred Flames book by Aurelia Louise Jones
• Jennifer’s 1^st online course: Seven Sacred Flames
• Michelle’s online 1^st course for graphic facilitators: Essentials of Visual Thinking
• Michelle’s online art course: Paint Your heART
• Conference call platforms – Instant Teleseminar, Zoom
• Spirit Art School is the live online monthly art classes with Jennifer, Michelle and other art teachers
• Sanctuary - Jennifer's monthly meditation class
• Jennifer’s Free Your Voice class
• Apps and software for video editing - VideoStudio Camtasia, OBS
• Online teaching platform options – Moodle, TalentLMS, Thinkific, Kajabi, Teachable, Kartra, SamCart

(Please note: there are NO affiliate links for any of the teaching platforms shared above.)

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Whitney Freya & Kim Sales on Women Supporting Women Through Creativity

In this episode Michelle is joined by Whitney Freya, creator of the Creatively Fit Coaching program, artist and author, and Kim Sales an artist and Creatively Fit Coach to talk about their experiences and learning from working with women through creativity. We hear about their creative journey, what brings joy in their world, books and advice that has changed their lives and more about a wonderful current project – The Festival of Feminine Power & Artistry.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Creatively Fit Coach Training with Whitney Freya
• Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence G. Boldt
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Susan Melrath, artist, coach in Art2Life program
• Big Magic by Liz Gilbert
• Festival of Feminine Power & Artistry – to join or donate
• My book, 20,000 Brushstrokes – inspiring lessons for joyful living beyond heartbreak, loss and discontent
• Becoming Supernatural by Dr Joe Dispenza

You can find today's guests at these places:

Whitney Freya:

https://whitneyfreya.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyFreyaCanvas

https://www.instagram.com/whitneyfreya/

Kim Sales:

https://www.kimsales.com/intro

https://www.facebook.com/KimSalesLanternLightStudioArtandCourses/

https://www.instagram.com/kimsalesartandcourses/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

So You Want to be an Author?

Is writing a passion of yours? Do you see your artistry expanding to include writing, but not sure if you know how to go about it? This episode is for you. Jennifer and Michelle talk about their experiences and learning from writing multiple books – for different audiences and with different messages. Key topics, like knowing how to get set up to start, ways to keep the momentum going, where to go for your book cover design and pricing are covered.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
• Avid Reader bookstore, West End, Australia
• Book cover designs – 99Designs, Upwork, Fiverr
• Publishing platforms – Amazon Kindle
• Michelle’s book, 20,000 Brushstrokes
• Jennifer’s books – Amazon Author’s Page

The True Nature of Art Is...

The world has been experiencing major events - east coast Australia, where Michelle lives has had devastating floods, and we are all aware of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle begin their conversation with this quote from George Inness - "The true use of art is, first, to cultivate the artist's own spiritual nature" in the context of the big upheavals we are seeing in the world, and talk about what they see the role of the artist is in these difficult times and finish with how to tap into our natural resilience to see us through.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Prayer for the World https://jenniferruthrussell.podbean.com/e/prayer-for-the-world/

   

• Peace is Flowing Like a River https://youtu.be/1YRM-eHgXCY

• Michelle's book, 20,000 Brushstrokes: Inspiring lessons for joyful living beyond heartbreak, loss and discontent https://20000brushstrokes.com/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Best Tools for Your Creative Play

Many artists have favourite tools of their craft. Do you? In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle discuss their best tools and a story or two about how they came upon them and what they use it for. One of Michelle's is her tree stump - used for holding her anvil and steel block, while Jennifer discusses her rhyming dictionary and vocal notebooks. 

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Creativity on the Move

Being away from the usual place where we create, whether because we are moving house or just away for a short trip, can be a disruption or a source of inspiration. In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle discuss where you can get ideas for travel art kits, to what their 'must haves' are when they are on the move.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode #16 - Welcoming & Dreaming into Your 2022
• Episode #17 - Ready to Set Your Big Hairy Audacious Goals
• Spirit Art School

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Ready to Set Your Big Hairy Audacious Goals?

Everyone loves setting goals, right? Yes, well you'll love this episode. Join Michelle for a look at what a BeeHAG (that's Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are  and why they are so powerful for you and the business of being an artist... A simple process to magnetise them so you're attracting what you need to make them a reality using the skills you have as an artist... and A Critical Barrier to watch for that will stall your progress. And if this barrier is present for you, Michelle gives some tips and hints on what to do about it!  

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Dream & Bloom: Welcoming Our Desires for 2022

NEW Year Blessings! Are you ready to embrace 2022? To get you into the swing, in this episode Jennifer and Michelle step you through their 'Welcoming the New Year' rituals. If you already have a way of bringing in the new year, you might like to add some new ideas... If you don't, then download the handout (www.michellewalker.com.au/podcast), grab a cuppa and settle in for some serious dreaming up for 2022. Enjoy! And here's to a year that is beyond your wildest dreams in love, abundance and creativity.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website – www.michellewalkerart.com

Michelle on Instagram – www.instagram.com/michellewalkerart

Michelle on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/michellewalkerart

Jennifer’s website – www.jenniferruthrussell.com

Jennifer on Patreon – www.patreon.com/JenniferandMichael

Reflect & Release: Harvesting 2021‘s Gems

…And just like that, it’s a wrap!

2021 is rapidly coming to an end. What do you do to celebrate the wins and acknowledge the challenges so you feel ready to move into the new year? Jennifer and Michelle take you through their ‘end of year’ rituals – what they do to reflect on their year and harvest the gems from it. This episode comes with a downloadable handout!  

Artists, inspirational people and resources mentioned in this podcast include: Kylie Gartside (https://kyliegartsidemaker.com/workshops) and you can download your own Harvesting the Gems handout at https://michellewalker.com.au/podcast/

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Nurturing Your Creative Heart in Busy Times

Do you get those times when your ‘dance card’ is crazy full, and you don’t seem to have time for your art? If that’s something you’ve wrestled with, then this episode will be just the thing. Jennifer and Michelle talk about how to juggle caring for our creative practice and ourselves when life is throwing a ton at you. Some of the answers are about how we approach our days in our thinking and in our hearts… and some are just very practical ideas of how we manage our calendars.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Your 5 Types of Money

In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle dive deeper into their conversation about money. They explore the 5 different types of money and how it can show up in our lives with different experiences and beliefs. Understanding what is true for you around your money situation is the first step to shifting your experience.

If you are interested in the money piece of your creative business and life, then you might enjoy Episode #4: Money, Profits and Scarcity Gremlins.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Critics, Fans & Other Fairy-tales

As creatives, we know we need to share our work to grow and improve. Listening to the marketing gurus, we are told we need to make our *brand* stand out and grow our audiences to have a successful creative business. The logic is a big audience of raving fans will lead to lots of adoring customers. Along the way, putting ourselves 'out there' in the world of the interwebs, means we may attract comments from people who aren't raving fans. How, as artists, do we deal with the critics and the fans that come across our paths? In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle discuss this from a number of angles and the whole 'myth' / fairy-tale of how to deal with feedback.

Artists, inspirational people and resources mentioned in this podcast include: Love without End by Glenda Green and Nicholas Wilton.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Mixing in New Ideas & Techniques

So you’ve just returned to the studio from a workshop or class… What happens next? The way we integrate new ideas and techniques for our art-making matters. In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle discuss Michelle’s recent week-long art retreat, the importance of her studio sketchbook for capturing the ideas and how she approaches the workshop integration process after the class is finished.

Artists and inspirations mentioned in this podcast include: Donald James Waters and Michelle’s working with charcoal on canvas video.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Dancing the 'Arc' of Creativity

Developing an idea from the creative spark through to a finished product has a certain ‘arc’. In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle talk about what’s involved for their music / song-writing and painting / jewellery design fields. In particular, how it is experienced from a head and heart level as well as the role of control and surrender.

Inspirational people and resources mentioned in this podcast include: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (books: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention; TED Talk); and the book Anna: The Voice of the Magdalenes.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon

Sparklers, Cake and the Flow of Life

It's September, which is a special month for Michelle - she is celebrating the release of her Spring 2021 Collection of enamel jewellery, her 10th wedding anniversary with Ian and her 56th spin around the sun. In this episode, Jennifer and Michelle talk about marking and celebrating milestones and what it looks like when we have big achievements or bodies of work come to a close. Michelle also talks about her new project, #mark180, where she is celebrating each of her last 180 days at her beloved farm with mindful art out in the paddock. You can follow that on her Instagram feed.

You can find your hosts at these places:

Michelle’s website | on Instagram | on YouTube

Jennifer’s website | on Patreon