Songs for the Struggling Artist
Songs for the StrugglingArtist
I blogcast about Artist stuff. And Arts Related stuff. Also feminism.
- 21 minutes 16 secondsComments on The Heroine's Journey
Back in 2008, I wrote a review of The Heroine’s Journey on Goodreads. At the time, I was developing Mythellaneous, which was a clown hero’s journey, so I was very excited to read this book, which was meant to be a women’s version of the famous hero’s journey as described by Joseph Campebll. Unfortunately, The Heroine’s Journey was disappointing and generally kind of facile and old fashioned. It did not help me in the creation of that show.
Over the years, I have noticed likes coming through for this review, more than any other book on my list.
To keep reading Comments on The Heroine's Journey visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 483
Song: I'm No Heroine
Image of some of my myth books
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
Explicit due to one f**k
27 January 2026, 12:52 am - 16 minutes 41 secondsHealth Care Every Year
A few weeks ago, I started receiving alarming emails about renewing my health insurance. “Renew now,” they said, “Or you risk losing your health insurance!”
I can’t risk losing health insurance so I got right on it and logged into my NY State of Health account to take care of it. When I got into the system, it told me I could not renew for another two weeks. Several more panic inducing emails arrived and there was literally nothing to do about it yet.
This made me think about how absolutely bonkers our health care system is.
To keep reading Health Care Every Year visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 482
Song: Unwell
Image by Tim Mossholder via Unsplash
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
20 January 2026, 2:18 am - 13 minutes 53 secondsGiving Tuesday
I didn’t want to be a Giving Tuesday party pooper so I waited to post this until after giving season. I hope all my non-profit friends got lots of donations this year! But I did write this on actual Giving Tuesday. Am I a spoilsport? Maybe.
Because I run a non-profit, I feel like I ought to make a pitch for us every year around this time. It feels like an exercise in futility but a lot of things feel that way, so maybe I should do it anyway? I didn’t do it this year but maybe I should have?
To keep reading Giving Tuesday visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 481
Song: Giving Tuesday
Image via Wikicommons
To support this podcast:
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
13 January 2026, 12:21 am - 20 minutes 42 secondsThis Show Needed Gertrude Stein
I saw an adaptation of a Thornton Wilder play at The Public and it made me real mad. My only comfort is that apparently Thornton Wilder used to get real mad at everything he saw as well, so I guess I’m in good company.
The show was an adaptation of The Skin of Our Teeth, which, for the most part, just involved throwing some songs into it. It was mostly harmless, I suppose. I’d never seen The Skin of Our Teeth and this production made me go straight home to read it so I guess it did me the service of catching me up on an American classic.
To keep reading This Show Needed Gertrude Stein visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 480
Song: Gertrude & Stein
Image by CHUTTERSNAP via Unsplash
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
6 January 2026, 2:40 am - 16 minutes 50 secondsFurther Thoughts on Type
Occasionally, I’ll get responses to these blogs that suggest some further clarification is necessary. I wouldn’t have thought my piece about types would have been one of them. But it has become clear that the concept of types is not immediately obvious to those who don’t work in show business. I’m oddly touched by this. I love the notion of being free of the idea entirely. Types, for actors, are useful but sometimes oppressive categories.
To keep reading Further Thoughts on Type visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 479
Song: Been It
Image of Peter Falk via Wikipedia
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
30 December 2025, 2:09 am - 15 minutes 36 secondsSeven Pages in the New Yorker
There was this article in the New Yorker a couple of months ago that I really hated. It was a profile of an influencer and I nearly quit reading it multiple times. But somehow, because it was about someone I really do not understand, I felt like I should stick with it to try and learn something.
To keep reading Seven Pages in the New Yorker visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 478
Song: Material Girl
Image by Ethan Hoover via Unsplash
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
22 December 2025, 4:22 pm - 16 minutes 28 secondsA Cultural Misreading of TV
The episode ended with a child falling out of a window, which was a hell of a cliffhanger.
This episode with the child was the ninth episode of this Swedish show and I thought, “Damn, the Swedes are hardcore to end a season this way!” It felt like a lot.
To keep reading A Cultural MisReading of TV visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 477
Song: Lovefool
Image of The Restaurant
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
16 December 2025, 2:57 am - 15 minutes 51 secondsWomen's Business
While reading a book about the history of the Bluestockings, I was thunderstruck by this quotation from a “conduct manual” for women from the 1760s. It said, “Your business chiefly is to read Man, in order to make yourselves agreeable and useful.” This was the advice for women, then, to help them steer clear of the danger of reading books and becoming (gasp!) the dreaded Learned Ladies.
To keep reading Women's Business visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 476
Song: Read Your Mind
Image by Richard Samuels
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
8 December 2025, 12:25 pm - 16 minutes 7 secondsMy Type
I recently decided I wanted to get back into acting and to do that I felt that I needed to get headshots taken for the first time since I was 21. In approaching the task, I confronted a question I hadn’t considered for many decades and that question was “What’s my type?”
To keep reading My Type visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 475
Song: Not Your Type
Image is my headshot by Kacey Anisa Stamats
To support this podcast:
Give it 5 stars in Apple Podcasts. Write a nice review!
Rate it wherever you listen or via: https://ratethispodcast.com/strugglingartist
Like on Facebook:
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Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
2 December 2025, 2:56 am - 23 minutes 55 secondsMy Local Race Goes International (Or, Mamdani and Simotas)
Really, I’m jealous. I wish I felt as hopeful and pumped up as so many of my friends and family around the world are about the election of Zohran Mamdani. I wish I felt like you felt. I mean, yes, I voted for him and I am very glad he won but as many of you know, I have some complicated feelings about my state assembly representative and I just can’t share everyone’s enthusiasm.
To keep reading My Local Race Goes International (Or, Mamdani and Simotas) visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 474
Song: Nashville
Image of Mamdani & Simotas from QNS mag
To support this podcast:
Give it 5 stars in Apple Podcasts. Write a nice review!
Rate it wherever you listen or via: https://ratethispodcast.com/strugglingartist
Like on Facebook:
On Mastodon - @[email protected]
On Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Instagram and Pinterest
Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
25 November 2025, 3:18 am - 14 minutes 38 secondsMy Art Won't Buy Me a Car
Many of us weigh down our works with our hopes and dreams that this one will be the one that changes everything. We make something hoping THIS one will turn things around. THIS will be the project that changes our lives. We can’t just tend to our little art plant, hoping it will grow; we tremble, doing everything we can to make THIS be the thing that turns it all around.
To keep reading My Art Won't Buy Me a Car visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 473
Song: Drive My Car
Image by Stephanie Harvey via Unsplash
To support this podcast:
Give it 5 stars in Apple Podcasts. Write a nice review!
Rate it wherever you listen or via: https://ratethispodcast.com/strugglingartist
Like on Facebook:
On Mastodon - @[email protected]
On Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Instagram and Pinterest
Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defense here.
You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
18 November 2025, 2:52 am - More Episodes? Get the App