- 19 minutes 20 secondsThree Questions I Was Asked Recently
Are you still in the arts?
Do you just sit in a theatre all day?
Do you love it?
To read the answers to these questions, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 514
Song: Questionnaire
Image by JJ Grandville via Old Book Illustrations
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14 September 2026, 11:53 pm - 14 minutes 27 secondsWhen the Wind Is With You
The high of having won the award in Los Angeles began to wear off after a few weeks. I was honestly surprised it lasted that long! Most highs I’ve experienced before were a fewdays max. The chief advantage of this extended high was that it gave me a lot of energy for things that normally feel like a chore.
To keep reading When the Wind Is With You, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 513
Song: Against the Wind
Image by Andrea Zignan via Unsplash
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7 September 2026, 11:48 pm - 10 minutes 55 secondsCircumspection Around My Work
Depending on the circumstances, I can tend to be fairly circumspect in talking about my work. The Dragoning, for example, can be fairly challenging for men. I’ve had men tell me that they tried to listen but they just couldn’t hack it. Many women find this hilarious. I have found it prudent to choose my audiences carefully.
To keep reading Circumspection Around My Work, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 512
Song: Careful Man
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31 August 2026, 11:53 pm - 17 minutes 8 secondsThe Dabbler Economy
those resources, opportunities and such are not actuallyfor people like me and my friends. They’re not supports for underfunded, life-long artists, they are for dabblers, for aspiring artists, for the banker who has always wanted to write a novel. These are structures designed to extract money from moneyed individuals who want to give art a try.
To keep reading The Dabbler Economy, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 511
Song: The Dabbler
Image John Doe via Unsplash
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*Swear word in the song
25 August 2026, 12:28 am - 14 minutes 26 secondsThe Stink and The Sparkle
Because of our big win in LA, I recently bid goodbye to something that I’d had with me for a while. It’s something I never wanted. No one ever wants it but sometimes itjust shows up and it’s hard to get rid of once it does. No one will ever mention its presence but most people know it’s there when you’ve got the Stink.
To keep reading The Stink and The Sparkle, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 510
Song: Rhinestoned
Image Kym MacKinnon via Unsplash
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18 August 2026, 1:54 am - 15 minutes 55 secondsLike a Dog on a Roof
At some point, I just said “You guys are special ed. Does anyone ever give you a hard time about that?” And they conceded that they did. We made list of feelings about those experiences and one student said, “Sometimes I get so mad, I feel like a dog on a roof!”
To keep reading Like a Dog on a Roof, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 509
Song: The Dog Is on the Roof
Image by SLNC via Unsplash
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11 August 2026, 12:48 am - 13 minutes 28 secondsThey Can't Take It From Me
In the dream, someone had stolen my award, thetrophy itself, and I had to go through a kind of caper to retrieve it. Once I had it back, I became kind of hypervigilant about protecting it. When I woke up, I realized how silly it all was. No one would want to steal my award and even if they took the physical object, that wouldn’t take the fact of it away.
To keep reading They Can’t Take It from Me, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 508
Song: They Can’t Take That Away from Me, featuring Scott Ethier
Image selfie by Emily Rainbow Davis
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4 August 2026, 1:25 am - 17 minutes 35 secondsLadies First Should Have Been a Better Movie
I would have given up on watching Ladies First but after seeingthat both Fiona Shaw and Kathryn Hunter were in it, I felt I had to see if maybe this time they’d have a scene together. And hot dog, they did! It was two lines long and it went like this:
FS: Men.
KH: Tell me about it.
And that is all we got to see of two of the great actors of Britaintogether. This kind of disappointment sort of summarizes everything about Ladies First.
To keep reading Ladies First, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 507
Song: Homme Facile
Image The Cast of Ladies First
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*Explicit due to the existence of of a-holes
28 July 2026, 3:15 am - 11 minutes 50 secondsYes, I Know Substack Is Problematic
In certain sections of the internet, you’ll find many pronouncements about Substack. I’ve seen peopledeclare that they will not read anything on Substack, no matter how much they like the author. In case you don’t hang out in these corners of the internet, the reason for this is that Substack has some writers putting out Nazi content and the owners have not done anything about it. I agree this is bad. But I have not removed my own content on Substack in response.
To keep reading Yes, I Know Substack Is Problematic, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 506
Song: Here, There and Everywhere
Image by Eric Anderson via Unsplash
Boots Riley video
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*Explicit due to the S word and the F word.
21 July 2026, 2:00 am - 13 minutes 44 secondsShakespeare's Wife
So many people asked me if I’d seen Hamnet yet and I hadn’t and somehow didn’t want to. But I was on a plane and it was available there, when other choices weren’t that exciting. I did think to myself “Do I feel like crying on the plane today?” and answered eventually with, “Not particularly, but, what the hell?” So I watched it and I cried on the plane, of course, but Iresented it and I felt I needed to unpack why.
There’s a genre of book I have recently sworn off, despite having been attracted to these titles in the past. I call it the “Someone’s Wife” genre.
To keep reading Shakespeare’s Wife, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 505
Song: The Bachelor’s Wife
Image by George Edward Perine via Wikicommons
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14 July 2026, 1:42 am - 15 minutes 24 secondsThe Roller Coaster of Supporting an Artist
At LA WebFest, one of the directors told an anecdote about being captivated by an artist’s work early in their career and getting to watch them grow and succeed. He was invested in this artist’s ascension and he recommended the practice of investing in young artists, in order to have the pleasure of watching them make it. It was a sweet plea to get on board with artists before it’s fashionable.
To keep reading The Roller Coaster of Supporting an Artist, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
Episode 504
Song: Roller Coasters Make Me Sad
Image by Drew Hastings via Unsplash
Give this podcast 5 stars. Write a nice review! Rate it: https://ratethispodcast.com/strugglingartist
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Twitter @erainbowdMastodon @[email protected] BlueSky @erainbowd.bsky.social Instagram & PinterestListen to The Dragoning & The Defense
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