Noticing the small wins you’ve gained can have a big impact on your practice as an artist. That insight was what I loved hearing about most in my conversation with Leslie Rae Cannon, an artist from Atlanta, Georgia and a member of Growth Studio. She graduated with an art degree from Presbyterian College, and now as an empty-nester has traded in carpools and play-dates for canvases and paint brushes.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn how small wins have helped Leslie grow as an artist, from overcoming her fear of putting her work out there to becoming really selective about which gallery she allows to show her art. You’ll also hear about the importance of developing a supportive community and how that’s helped Leslie recognize her own progress.

1:34 - A sense of who Leslie is and what she’s discovered about herself as an artist

5:56 - The process Leslie goes through when working on or in between projects

8:56 - How Leslie felt inspired to create her hydrangea collection and allowed herself more freedom in painting them

15:25 - Leslie’s transition from being really excited about her work to wanting to show her work

19:37 - One way that people have been drawn to some of Leslie’s paintings and a recent decision that saved her from sitting in frustration

26:10 - How Leslie has evolved into the habit of consistently putting her toe in the water to get her work into a gallery

33:50 - The impact of Leslie’s belief in the law of attraction and manifestation on her success

39:17 - How Leslie has gotten into the practice of noticing her small wins

41:26 - How Leslie shifted from trying to get in front of as many people as possible to being able to pick and choose her shows

47:37 - What today’s Leslie would tell herself (or other artists) if this were three or four years ago

Mentioned in How Small Wins Impact Your Art Practice with Leslie Rae Cannon

Leslie Rae Cannon Art | Instagram

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

How to Confidently Price Your Artwork Without Overwhelm

How to Stop Procrastinating and Finally Price Your Artwork

Julep Gallery | Dunwoody Gallery

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Do you feel a twinge of anxiety or regret settle in after you’ve set a goal? It’s similar to how people often feel after making a big purchase. You get really excited about your goal, only to feel this wave of doubt sink in. I call this goal phenomenon “goal remorse.”

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, we’ll dive deeper into what goal remorse is and why it pops up. I’ll also give you some tips to calm the overthinking of your goal, help you feel good about your decision, and stay on track with your vision.

1:36 - What goal remorse is, why you feel it, and questions to ask yourself when the goal you’ve set is too vague

7:57 - A close cousin of “shiny-object syndrome” that leads to goal remorse and the bigger win you gain by committing to your goals

14:20 - How recognizing that you’re in a negative thought pattern, challenging it, and reframing it will help defuse it

17:00 - One of my favorite and constantly used tools for calming down the nervous system

19:19 - The power of self-hypnosis or mental rehearsal to train your brain to trust yourself and your instincts when it comes to your goal

21:44 - An important thing to remember after you’ve committed to a goal and the importance of scheduling time for reassessing

24:25 - How to give yourself accountability to help eliminate any sort of goal remorse or doubts around your goal

Mentioned in Doubts Don’t Mean You Chose the Wrong Goal

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Setting goals isn’t just about the end result; it’s also about personal growth and transformation. You feel disappointed and perhaps like you’re spinning your wheels a bit when you don’t achieve what you’ve set out to do. And a struggle to decide the ‘right' goal for you might be getting in the way of that feeling of satisfaction, happiness, and pride in your art practice.

So how do you choose if you have a million ideas and feel like you can’t pick just one to go with? In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn about the common fears associated with goal-setting and the part your brain plays in the process. I’ll also give you some practical tips to help you decide which goals to pursue.

1:58 - What setting goals helps you avoid and common struggles of artists who don’t have clear goals

8:32 - Why artists struggle with choosing the “right” goal and trusting their decision

16:34 - Why your brain creates obstacles to achieving your goals and how to deal with it

21:09 - How to decide if you feel like you have too many ideas

25:52 - The importance of trusting your decision once you’ve made it

Mentioned in How to Decide on the “Right” Goal

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There’s an affliction going around lately within artistic circles. You might be experiencing it too, even if it’s just a small voice or whisper in the back of your head. The affliction is the thought that, “My art doesn’t matter”. 

Now, your immediate reaction might be to refute this and tell yourself, “Of course it matters/” And I agree and am here to remind you that, yes, your art does matter. But this constant nagging doubt could make you feel like an art practice isn’t worth having after all.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn about what’s special about your art and exactly why it matters, not just to you but to other people as well. I’ll also discuss why you believe it doesn’t matter and how your approach to your work could change if the thought was completely non-existent in your mind.

3:20 - Why you sometimes believe that creating your work doesn’t matter and how it leads to dissatisfaction in your practice

8:09 - The most beautiful thing about being an artist and how it showcases a gift that most people don’t have

13:14 - How you impact people with your art, whether you’re aware of it or not

16:38 - The impact on you if the thought “my art doesn’t matter” didn’t exist in your head at all

23:06 - One of the greatest realizations I’ve ever had about my own artwork

Mentioned in Why Your Art Matters (Even When You Think It Doesn’t)

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Money and pricing your art can feel like tricky, even uncomfortable topics, but they’re also some of the most powerful conversations we can have as artists. Why? Because our beliefs about money and pricing often run deep and show up in ways we don’t even realize. They influence how we value our art, how we show up for it, and ultimately, how we create a practice that truly supports and sustains us.

In this final roundtable episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, I’m joined by Growth Studio members Merrie Koehlert, Leslie Cannon, and Beverly Woodhall. We dig into how your thoughts about money and pricing impact your relationship with your art, and we get real about the hidden mindset blocks that can hold you back. Whether it’s pricing your work with confidence, valuing your time, or shifting your money beliefs, this conversation is filled with insights to help you move forward and thrive as an artist."

1:23 - Quick self-introductions for Merrie, Leslie, and Beverly as artists

2:56 - Assumptions about money as it relates to art that the roundtable have had or heard from others

8:44 - How your subconscious programming can impact the lens through which you see your art

14:04 - Critical junction points in Merrie’s life that reinforced her negative assumptions about selling art

18:40 - How Leslie, Merrie, and Beverly view pricing their artwork and how their thoughts about pricing have changed

31:09 - Getting around the drama in your head so you can learn to get comfortable with your pricing 

34:55 - How each participant has internalized what “the value of the painting” means to them

43:25 - The value to the art collector and why buying a piece of art because it matches other room decor shouldn’t be considered an insult

50:12 - Painting pieces you know people buy when you need to make more money versus painting what you really want and not selling as frequently

57:11 - Thoughts around money or pricing that the participants now notice that they were oblivious to before and how Growth Studio has helped 

Mentioned in How Your Money Mindset Shapes Your Art Practice

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How to Confidently Price Your Artwork Without Overwhelm
How to Stop Procrastinating and Finally Price Your Artwork
How Artists Can Overcome Money Mindset Blocks
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As artists, we go through several phases on our way to creating pieces. It all starts with this period of play and discovery that I call the exploratory phase, and to talk about it with me are Growth Studio members Sabrina Setaro, Alyssa Marquez, and Jess Fredrick.

In this roundtable episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll go on a deep dive into the first stage of artistic creation: the exploratory phase. Sabrina, Alyssa, Fredick, and I will discuss what happens in this stage and what they’ve discovered about their work in the process, techniques to balance play with purpose during your exploration, how they avoid overwhelm and overthinking during this discovery phase, and more!

1:10 - The five phases of artistic creation

4:27 - Sabrina, Alyssa and Jess tell a little bit about themselves

8:00 - What the exploratory phase looks like for each roundtable participant in their studio

14:05 - Allowing further experimentation and how to keep frustration at bay during this phase

24:48 - More experimentation techniques you can use to help you get out of a rut as an artist

34:43 - Insights the participants received about their artwork during the exploratory phase

46:08 - How to know if you’re using this phase for deep exploration or as a way to hide from something else

54:07 - How being part of Growth Studio has helped Sabrina, Alyssa, and Jess in the exploration process

Mentioned in Exploring Your Art Without Overthinking or Overwhelm

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Welcome to another roundtable series! This time I’m joined by Growth Studio members Louisa Jornayvaz, Braighlee Rainey, Jack Wray, and Elisabeth Svendby in a discussion about finding your voice as an artist.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about what it means to find your voice and ways you can connect with it. You’ll also get personal insights into how the participants’ have connected with their voice and how it brings meaning into their artistic practice.

1:37 - Braighlee, Louisa, Elisabeth, and Jack quickly introduce themselves

3:27 - How they define what the artist's voice means to them

8:46 - How to know when you’re connected to your voice

11:00 - How your background can impact your art and the journey of finding your voice

19:52 - How each roundtable participant has progressed in finding their voice

26:35 - Why this journey isn’t straightforward and how it can evolve as you continue to walk the path

33:59 - Advice if you’re really not sure where to look to help you discover your artistic voice

42:27 - The connection between finding your voice as an artist and meditation and green lights

46:46 - The importance of imperfection and challenge in bringing character and resonance to art

50:10 - The impact of being taught in curiosity and sensitivity conditioning

54:59 - What the roundtable participants learned within Growth Studio to help them find or connect with their voices

Mentioned in How Artists Find Their Voice and Create from the Heart

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It’s one thing to have an interest in creating art or putting something on canvas. It’s another to see yourself as an artist and have an artistic practice.

What’s a difference-maker between those who do and those who don’t? Creative confidence, and to talk about it, I’m joined by Growth Studio members Alyssa Marquez, Merrie Koehlert, and Andrew Rea in another roundtable series.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about the concept of creative confidence, its impact on artistic practice, and how it differs from self-confidence and arrogance. You’ll get personal insights into how the participants’ confidence has evolved, whether there’s such a thing as too much confidence, and how peer support can help navigate challenges and enhance artistic expression.

1:34 - Defining creative confidence and how it’s necessary for artists to create and share their work

6:46 - How you’re constantly making art (even if you haven’t always been the artistic type)

13:00 - How Alyssa’s creative confidence has evolved over time

24:42 - How an evolution in confidence has most recently affected Merrie’s and Andrew’s art

29:49 - How to distinguish between confidence, self-confidence, and arrogance

33:19 - Can you have too much confidence in your painting or art practice?

40:33 - How confidence has impacted Alyssa’s desire to take risks with art

43:03 - Impact of the Growth Studio community on the roundtable participants’ confidence

Mentioned in How Creative Confidence Impacts Your Artwork

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Do you turn into a nervous Nellie at the thought of other people critiquing your art? Perhaps you even try to avoid the situation, or find yourself asking what’s the point of getting a critique if art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder anyway?

I’ve brought together artists from Growth Studio in a roundtable series to discuss several topics of interest to artists. We kick off the first of this series with Sabrina Setaro, Elisabeth Svendby, and Beverly Woodhall to go on a deep dive on the subject of getting your work critiqued.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll hear us cover the purpose of a critique, how to deal with the advice you receive, and how to get past the nerves. We’ll also discuss the kinds of things you can learn about your work from consistently seeking out constructive feedback.

1:19 - Sabrina, Elisabeth, and Beverly’s introduction and the benefits of getting a critique

7:41 - What Elisabeth learned about herself through critiques and the evolution that occurs with this simple question

13:13 - The difference in the critique conversation for half-done versus completed paintings

19:22 - How having faith in your own vision becomes a huge part of your evolution as an artist

27:02 - How Beverly, Sabrina, and Elisabeth look at their paintings differently now as a result of getting critiques

32:55 - What you and your art gain when you go with your instinct and follow your curiosity

40:57 - An important caveat about getting critiques and what to look for in somebody to critique your work

Mentioned in Why Get Your Work Critiqued?

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Perfectionism can show up in your studio and throughout your practice in many ways. Some are obvious, and others not so much. But what perfectionism looks like is often difficult to clearly define; the best way to illustrate it is by contrasting it with mastery.

In the final episode of this four-part live series on The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about the concepts of perfectionism and mastery and explore the different behaviors they can cause. I’ll also provide insight into how to recognize and address any perfectionist tendencies you have to foster a healthier, more productive artistic practice.

1:04 - The difficulty of nailing down the concept of perfectionism

3:20 - Behaviors associated with perfectionism and mastery in artistic practices

13:34 - How emotional awareness can help you respond more effectively to perfectionist tendencies

24:48 - Working through an impulse to go for too many brush strokes when self-doubt creeps in

30:57 - The importance of distinguishing between feelings of openness and closing off in response to challenges

39:27 - Working through how to reframe and respond to rejection as an artist

48:38 - The very high price tag that comes with perfectionism

Mentioned in How Perfectionism Shows Up In Your Studio

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Many artists have a tricky relationship with money. The stories we tell ourselves about money can create hidden barriers to pricing and selling our work with confidence. By shining a light on these beliefs, you’ll find a path to transforming your approach to money—and building a more sustainable, abundant art practice.

In part three of this live event series on The Savvy Painter Podcast, we’re exploring some common money myths that can hold artists back. Together with a few participants, we’ll question these limiting beliefs and offer ways to reframe them, so you can feel more empowered in pricing your art and growing your creative business.

2:18 - Common money beliefs and how they shape attitudes toward spending and earning in the art world

8:50 - How to start becoming aware of and questioning your beliefs about money

13:30 - Braley’s dichotomous belief about the value of original pieces versus smaller prints

20:16 - The purpose of questioning your thoughts about pricing and selling art

25:27 - Reframing the fear of creating artwork that isn’t good enough or doesn’t feel authentic

35:17 - The impact of Morgan’s money beliefs on her pricing and ability to connect to potential collectors

46:45 - What you’re actually selling and why you create the art vs. why a potential collector wants to buy it

51:50 - The importance of separating facts from subjective stories about money

Mentioned in How Artists Can Overcome Money Mindset Blocks

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