Songs for the Struggling Artist
Songs for the StrugglingArtist
I blogcast about Artist stuff. And Arts Related stuff. Also feminism.
- 14 minutes 58 secondsNot Into Politics
In the days before the election, my friend made a LOT of phone calls on behalf of the Harris campaign. He spoke to quite a few people who were truly undecided. They really exist! He told me about someone who said, “I just don’t know anything about the candidates.” And I was so jealous of them! How is it possible to avoid knowing about these people? I do not TRY to learn a lot about these folks – but it feels like it’s just in the air. Are these folks not breathing the same air as me?
But, really, though, it must be nice to be wholly unaffected by American politics. I know people around the world who know tiny details about our political mess – but meanwhile there are people who live here who do not know what’s going on. They go on about their lives with no thought for what’s happening in our government. “Must be nice,“ I think.
To keep reading Not Into Politics visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 438
Song: The Fox
Image by Tomas Malik 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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
11 March 2025, 1:16 am - 14 minutes 56 secondsMy Computer's New Nickname
When I first got a computer, I gave it a name. I don’t remember which one came first, Bertram or Mr. Finkelstein. I believe I named my hard drive in college; It was the Stinky Cheese Drive. I don’t know when I stopped naming my computers but I think it’s been a few years at least.
Then the other day, I told my friend I was going to go check in with my digital world and he said, “Oh, are you going to go look at your Good News Machine?”
To keep reading My Computer's New Nickname visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 437
Song: Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News
Image - Smiley pic by chaitanya pillala and Laptop pic by Devin Pickell 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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
4 March 2025, 2:50 am - 23 minutes 33 secondsI Went to See a Play About a Quilt
The main reason I wanted to see The Blood Quilt was because it was about a family making a quilt together and having made some quilts with my family, I was interested. I don’t see a lot of plays about stuff I know about so I was curious. Would I gain some insight into my own experience? Discover some hidden metaphor in my family’s crafting? Would I learn something about crafting – or maybe the craft of playwriting?
To keep reading I Went to See a Play About a Quilt visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 436
Song: Names
Image of the quilt I made, with my family, for my friend's baby
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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 February 2025, 3:24 am - 14 minutes 47 secondsTips for Structuring a Creative Life
When I graduated from college, I went straight into my first acting job which was a six month Shakespeare tour that was pretty intense. It was very full time. But then, when I wasn’t re-hired there, which had been my plan, I was suddenly out of work and out of a structure for my time. It threw me for a big loop. I began, then, the process of hustling to get more acting jobs, but also the process of making sure I continued to create things. This second thing is the most significant in how I build my life today.
Part of the reason I suspect people get so curious about “how I spend my days” is that unstructured time is sometimes a challenge for the busy person. They think, “I don’t know what to do with my Sunday, what would I do if I didn’t have that job?” and they wonder what I’m doing with a life full of Sundays.
To keep reading Tips for Structuring a Creative Life visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 435
Song: Everyday
Image of Margot Zemach's artwork for It Could Always Be Worse
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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 February 2025, 12:22 am - 16 minutes 28 secondsThe Song That Broke the Dam
I don’t know if I hadn’t cried yet about therapist-in-chief being elected again or if I’m just forgetting all the other times I’ve cried before, but I do have a sensation of not really dealing with or processing this reality thus far. I’ve been pretty numb and disassociated. I know that much. I didn’t even mention the forthcoming transition of power in therapy a few days before. Oh, Trump? Is that happening? La di da.
Anyway – a crack in the dam appeared when someone postedLily Allen’s cover of Rufus Wainwright’s song, “Going to a Town,” recorded at a march in England, the last time we did this.
To keep readingThe Song That Broke the Damvisit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 434
Song: Going to a Town
Image byConstante Lim 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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
Listen to The Dragoning here and The Defensehere. You can support them via Ko-fi here: https://ko-fi.com/messengertheatrecompany
As ever, I am yours,
Emily Rainbow Davis
11 February 2025, 3:26 am - 20 minutes 37 secondsMonologue from a 1913 Suffrage Meeting
Just a little extra this week.
This is a monologue written by Marie Jenney Howe for a 1913 Women's Suffrage meeting.
I found it while doing some research for a project about a women's secret society and couldn't resist recording it for you. Some things will feel familiar even now, over a hundred years later.
Click here to read along.
This is a Bonus Episode
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
5 February 2025, 2:14 am - 17 minutes 17 secondsWill This Residency Be Kind?
This residency opportunity popped up in my feed. It sounded amazing. A week in a castle with artists from many disciplines on an island off the coast of England? A collaborative exploration in conversation with international artists and the tidal patterns? Yes, please. I could use the magic of a castle and a group process by the water. How do I apply?
I was all ready to hit the application button when I noticed the specification that artists be “reasonably fit” and prepared to be outdoors in all weather. This gave me pause.
To keep reading Will This Residency Be Kind? visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 433
Song: Castle
Image of the Jersey castle via Wikicommons
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
4 February 2025, 2:36 am - 17 minutes 35 secondsSh*t Bag Shelf
I confess that when the news started to come out about Neil Gaiman’s terrible behavior, I did not dig deep on it. I really did not want to know. As a fan of his work, and maybe even a student of it, this particular dark turn was one I did not want to be true. I assumed it was true and I assumed it was bad and yet I sort of sang to myself, with my hands over my ears, hoping it would go away.
But at the same time, as a public feminist, I felt like it was probably my duty not to turn away from my favorite author’s comeuppance. So I listened to the podcast that investigated and explored the allegations.
To keep reading Sh*t Bag Shelf visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 432
Song: King of Anything
Image of the beginnings of the Sh*t Bag Shelf by yours truly.
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Join my Substack: https://emilyrainbowdavis.substack.com/
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
28 January 2025, 2:41 am - 20 minutes 42 secondsDiscoverability Is the Issue
While talking with a friend about the ups and downs of making money from writing on the internet, it occurred to me that almost all the support I receive is from people who know me in real life. There are exceptions, of course, but the vast majority of support comes from friends, family and friends of friends and family. As I told my friend, I have found that my only successful marketing strategy has ever been to make friends with people. And truth be told, I tend to think of any supporters I haven’t met in real life as friends, too. So…I don’t feel like there’s anyone there who isn’t a friend.
To keep reading Discoverability Is the Issue visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 431
Song: Cherry Tree
Image by Annie Spratt 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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Join my Substack: https://emilyrainbowdavis.substack.com/
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Blue sky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
21 January 2025, 1:10 am - 16 minutes 44 secondsWhat Should We Do With All This Bad Art?
The dance piece was genuinely terrible. The dancer couldn’t really dance. The choreographer seemed to have a four movement/gesture vocabulary and the “concept” was cringe-inducing. I could tell you more about it, and I’m tempted to, because talking about terrible art can be very fun, but I think any further details would start to be hurtful and maybe mean. These artists have no real power yet. They don’t deserve a take-down.
I spent about a third of the piece trying to imagine what jobs these people would have in the future where they would tell their co-workers, “I used to be a dancer!” And they’ll say, “Really? How wild!” And then they’ll all go see the latest Nutcracker together.
If it isn’t already obvious, these artists were young. They had not yet acquired any skill or vision or discernment. They were given an audience and a platform they were not ready for and it was hard to watch. Was I jealous? Absolutely. I’d love for someone to gift me a stage and an audience. I do not take such things for granted. But I also don’t blame these young artists for their wretched show.
To keep reading What Should We Do With All This Bad Art? visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 430
Song: All This Useless Beauty
Image by Tania Malréchauffé 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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Join my Substack: https://emilyrainbowdavis.substack.com/
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Bsky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
14 January 2025, 2:13 am - 17 minutes 43 secondsAmerica Hates Women a Lot More than I Realized - Or, Thoughts from the First Week, Post-Election
When I spent my junior year of college in Italy, I found myself not particularly bothered by the catcalling there. While there was a lot more of it, it always seemed kind of good natured. When I walked down the street, men shouted, “Bella! Ti amo!” (“Beautiful, I love you!”) And you know, I didn’t mind because I felt no implied threat behind it. It just felt like a kind of sweet spontaneous expression of appreciation.
When I got catcalled in the US, my home country, there was always something kind of dark and aggressive behind the catcalls. Someone telling me to smile suggested that they’d give me something to frown about if I didn’t comply. Also, “Nice tits,” isn’t quite as pleasant an interaction as being told you’re beautiful and loved. No one in America would ever shout “I love you!”
To keep reading America Hates Women a Lot More than I Realized, visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.
This is Episode 429
Song: Cose Della Vita
Image by one of my friends (Probably Rachel?)
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
Join my mailing list: www.emilyrainbowdavis.com/
Like the blog/show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SongsfortheStrugglingArtist/
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilyrdavis
Join my Substack: https://emilyrainbowdavis.substack.com/
Follow me on Twitter @erainbowd
Me on Mastodon - @[email protected]
Me on Bsky - @erainbowd.bsky.social
Me on Hive - @erainbowd
Instagram and Pinterest
Tell a friend!
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
7 January 2025, 2:43 am - More Episodes? Get the App