Best Artclasses Podcasts (2025)

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130: Goodbye for Now 9:08

Play Pause

27d ago9:08

9:08

In this episode, Laura and Nikki share big news about the future of Startist Society. After 4.5 amazing years, we are taking a hiatus, but the community, episodes, and resources aren't going anywhere. Listen to why we are pausing, what we've learned, and how you can stay connected with both of us. READ SHOW NOTES + DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EMAIL MARKETIN…

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129: From Zero to Engaged - Creating an Email List that Works 18:18

6M ago18:18

18:18

Artists often ask, why do I need an email list when I already post on Instagram? Laura and Nikki share the answers: social media platforms can change their rules overnight, limit your reach, or even disappear entirely. Your email list belongs to you – nobody can take it away or stand between you and your audience. Listen in as we talk about how to …

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128: Selfies, Sales, and Sanity - Surviving Social Media as an Artist 20:45

6M ago20:45

20:45

The days when artists had to rely solely on galleries or craft fairs to get their work seen are long gone. Now we're all constantly wondering if we should be posting reels carousels or just give up and become hermits! Social media can feel like a full time job that none of us signed up for. In this episode, Laura and Nikki break down social media s…

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127: Choosing the Best Website Platform for Artists 33:48

7M ago33:48

33:48

In this episode, Nikki and Laura break down the most popular website platforms for artists and creatives. We'll help you evaluate features, integrations, and costs to choose the best option for your needs, whether you want to sell your work online, create a stunning portfolio or manage your art business. Plus, we'll share a handy comparison chart t…

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126: What Every Artist Website Needs 41:42

7M ago41:42

41:42

In this episode, Nikki and Laura dive into the must-have elements for any artist's website. Whether you're just starting out or revamping your online presence, we break down exactly what you need to showcase your work, connect with your audience and make sales! READ SHOW NOTES & DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ARTIST WEBSITE ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST: startistsociet…

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125: Beyond the Logo - Branding Essentials for Artists 15:53

8M ago15:53

15:53

In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about the importance of branding for artists - beyond just a logo. They provide some great practical tips for building a brand identity and take you through three different levels of branding investment: DIY, mid-tier, and professional - based on wherever you are at on your business journey. READ SHOW NOTES & A…

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124: 10 Creative Tips to Maximize your Art Supplies 16:41

8M ago16:41

16:41

In this episode Nikki and Laura tackle the ever-present temptation artists face—buying new supplies—and discuss why embracing the materials you already own can be a game-changer for your creativity and budget. We break down five compelling reasons why using your existing stash benefits both your art and your wallet, followed by ten practical tips t…

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123: From Tech-Timid to Tech-Savvy: Facing Your Technology Fears 13:43

9M ago13:43

13:43

Technology can feel intimidating, but it doesn't have to hold you back from growing your creative business. In this episode, Nikki and Laura share practical strategies and mindset shifts to help artists and creatives overcome their tech fears. From starting small and embracing imperfection to utilizing online resources and celebrating small wins, w…

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122: Getting Started in Surface Design with Bonnie Christine 43:04

9M ago43:04

43:04

We're ridiculously excited to share this week's episode with you. Why? Because we got to sit down with none other than Bonnie Christine—surface pattern designer extraordinaire, business powerhouse, and one of the best online educators out there. Bonnie is a completely self-taught designer who has created at least 16 fabric collections for Art Galle…

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121: Online Courses Worth Your Time and Money 24:25

10M ago24:25

24:25

Thinking about taking an online course but not sure which ones are actually worth your time and money? We've taken a lot over the years—some amazing, some… not so much. In this episode, we break down the best online learning platforms, memberships, and in-depth courses that have truly helped us grow as artists and creative entrepreneurs. Be sure to…

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120: Money Matters for Artists: Spending, Saving, and Growing Your Income 38:26

10M ago38:26

38:26

Money doesn't have to be scary—or boring! In this episode, Nikki and Laura share practical, relatable tips to help creative entrepreneurs take control of their finances. From tracking expenses to maximizing income and tackling debt, we're covering all the essentials to make managing your money feel less daunting and more empowering. STARTIST SOCIET…

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119: From Busy to Balanced: Our Plan to Make 2025 the Best Year Yet 43:22

11M ago43:22

43:22

In this episode, Nikki and Laura kick off the new year with a deep dive into their planning process for 2025. We reflect on our personal and creative wins and struggles from 2024, share the lessons we've learned, and discuss our goals for the year ahead. From building habits to embracing the chaos of creative business, we outline actionable steps f…

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118: 5 Tips for Getting Started in Wholesale with Heather Bourque 7:24

1+ y ago7:24

7:24

In our last episode, we introduced you to Heather Bourque of Paper and Wings, an artist and illustrator that sells physical products via wholesale. Did we mention she does this all on her own while still having time to travel the world each year? Heather is back this week to share her five best tips on getting started with a wholesale art business.…

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117: Getting started in Wholesale with Heather Bourque 50:41

1+ y ago50:41

50:41

In this episode, we continue our accountability group series by introducing you to Heather Bourque, an artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, who illustrates her love of coastal living and travel through her wholesale and retail online shop, Paper and Wings. We travel deep into Heather's world of creating and distributing wholesale products al…

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116: Getting Your Artwork Seen with Elizabeth Silver 46:53

1+ y ago46:53

46:53

In episode 49, we introduced you to Elizabeth Silver, a surface pattern designer and educator who is the creator of a fantastic course called Start Your Surface Pattern Business. This week, Elizabeth is back to talk to us about reasons you might not be getting your art in front of potential paying clients. We know you'll love Elizabeth's frank, no …

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115: 5 Tips to Improve your Artwork and Designs 11:46

1+ y ago11:46

11:46

In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki share 5 quick tips to help improve your artwork and take it to the next level. We discuss strategies that can help elevate your artwork and set you apart from the crowd and share some really fun tools, websites and products that can help with implementing these techniques! STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE P…

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114: Maria Brophy's 5 Tips for Achieving Success with your Art 10:01

2y ago10:01

10:01

In our last episode, we introduced you to Maria Brophy, an author, teacher, art consultant, agent and brand manager who wrote the incredible book Art Money Success. This week, Maria is back to share her 5 best tips for achieving success with your art. STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE PDF TIPS DOWNLOAD: startistsociety.com/mariastips/ JOIN THE STA…

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113: Art, Money, Success with Maria Brophy 1:18:58

2y ago1:18:58

1:18:58

In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki interview Maria Brophy, the author of Art Money Success. Maria discusses her journey from corporate cubicle life to becoming a successful art business owner and coach. She is a proven expert at marketing, licensing, and selling artwork, having played a key role in growing husband Drew Brophy's successful art …

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112: Presenting your Art Business Professionally 19:43

2y ago19:43

19:43

In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki explore the basics of professionally presenting your art business - both online and in person. We cover everything from communication etiquette to curating your portfolio, creating artist statements and a consistent brand identity, prepping physical artwork for galleries and more. We know you'll walk away wit…

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111: Photographing Your Work 29:53

2y ago29:53

29:53

This week, Laura and Nikki do a deep dive into getting professional high resolution images of your artwork. Do you need a fancy camera or will a phone camera do? How do you prep your space and art for the best images? What are key things you should know before hitting the shutter button to ensure you get clear, well-lit photos? When are scans usefu…

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110: A New Year: Looking Back and Looking Forward 37:24

2y ago37:24

37:24

Grab a cup of coffee (or bourbon) and join Laura & Nikki as they review what went well last year, what could have gone better, and what their plans are for the upcoming year (both for their personal/professional lives and for the Startist Society podcast). STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/anewyear/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP…

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109: Unconventional Ways to Sell Your Art 25:19

2y ago25:19

25:19

In this episode, Laura and Nikki dive into the deep sea of art sales, but not in the way that you might think. They take you off the beaten path, exploring 12 unconventional, out-of-the-box methods to help you sell your art and turn your passion into profit. If you've ever felt stuck or unsure of how to get your art into the world, this episode is …

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108: Closing the Creative Loop: Finishing What You Started 26:51

2y ago26:51

26:51

We talk a lot about just getting started. But what about finishing? Do you have trouble finishing projects? Do you have a million half done or barely started projects lying around the studio? Today, Nikki and Laura dive deep into the world of unfinished projects, sharing their personal stories and advice to help you muster the inspiration and motiv…

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107: Charly Clements' 3 Tips for Building an Engaged Audience 14:46

2y ago14:46

14:46

In our last episode, we introduced you to Charly Clements, an illustrator and mentor who licenses her art to clients all around the world, is a top teacher on Skillshare, and has a great new course called Out of This World Portraits. She does all of this while traveling the world. This week she is back to give us her top tips on building an engaged…

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106: Building an Audience and Community with Charly Clements 1:03:19

2y ago1:03:19

1:03:19

Charly Clements is an illustrator and mentor who has built a thriving illustration business, licensing her art to amazing clients all around the world, and has taught tens of thousands of students through her online classes as a top teacher on Skillshare and through her new course, Out of This World Portraits. She is the founder of Facetober and ha…

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105: Elli Milan's Tips for Combatting Perfectionism 14:33

2y ago14:33

14:33

In episode 104, we introduced you to Elli Milan, an artist, educator, speaker and founding owner of Milan Art Institute and Art Social. If you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, definitely go back and check it out. Elli is back to share her 10 best tips on getting past perfectionism as an artist and entrepreneur. MILAN ART INSTITUT…

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104: Beating Perfectionism with Elli Milan 1:12:36

2y ago1:12:36

1:12:36

Today's guest is Elli Milan, an artist, author, educator, and founding owner of Milan Art Institute and Art Social – an online art education program, social learning, and art patronage platform. She has been a successful artist since 1996, selling over 10,000 pieces of original art. She is passionate about empowering artists and has transformed the…

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103: To Trend or Not To Trend? 23:18

2y ago23:18

23:18

A lot of us become artists because we want to express ourselves, we have something to say and sometimes we want to stand out from the crowd. But we often see a lot of work in the art and design worlds that looks alike. Why is that? Are people following trends because they think they'll sell? Are they copying others because they don't have their own…

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102: How to Avoid Art Scams 20:07

2+ y ago20:07

20:07

As artists who are putting ourselves and our work online hoping to make connections and sales, we can be really vulnerable to all kinds of scams, because we are being very optimistic in thinking that people are really interested in our art. It's important to be aware of the types of scams that exist and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim to…

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101: Craft Your Elevator Pitch 16:26

2+ y ago16:26

16:26

So why is it so hard for us to answer the question, "Oh, you're an artist. What do you do?" When that happens, do you freeze? Do you shrink and mumble under your breath something about how you're both an artist and you do other things and you're working on several projects right now but it's too hard to explain? Do you go on and on for about five m…

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100: Celebrating 100 episodes! 39:38

2+ y ago39:38

39:38

Join Nikki and Laura and help us celebrate the huge milestone of our 100th episode! Listen in as we have a very chatty episode about our lives in the last few months, our art practices, our jobs, and the future of the podcast. You'll hear lots of talk about bourbon (naturally) and hear a funny story about a recent episode upload faux pas! You won't…

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99: Jennifer Long's 5 Tips for Becoming a Fabric Designer 7:53

2+ y ago7:53

7:53

In episode 98, we introduced you to Jennifer Long, who started with the dream of becoming a fabric designer for her favorite company, Riley Blake Designs, and she did just that. Jennifer is a Riley Blake Designs fabric designer, quilt and doll pattern writer, machine embroidery digitizer and online educator. She is the creator of the Bee Sew Inspir…

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98: Landing your Dream Fabric Design Gig with Jennifer Long 55:16

2+ y ago55:16

55:16

As we mentioned in the first of our accountability group series of episodes, most of our interviews have been with people who are much further along in their creative businesses. But one of our basic premises of starting this podcast was to have you come along with us on the journey of just getting things started. The women in our accountability gr…

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97: Creating Collections 22:23

2+ y ago22:23

22:23

Whether you're a fine artist or a surface pattern designer, you may have heard about the importance of creating in collections. If you're at the start of your art journey, you may be creating a lot of one off pieces of art. So how do you go about starting to work in collections? And how many pieces do you need to have to be able to call it a collec…

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96: 5 Tips for Selling on Digital Marketplaces with Isabelle Wood 5:44

2+ y ago5:44

5:44

In our last episode, we introduced you to Isabelle Wood, a perfect example of a Startist and one of the women in Laura and Nikki's accountability group. One of Isabelle's big goals was to create digital products and sell them on Design Cuts. She made that goal happen and today she's going to share with us her five tips for getting started selling o…

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95: Selling on Digital Marketplaces with Isabelle Gagnon Wood 51:50

2+ y ago51:50

51:50

We've spoken many times about how we met in an accountability group for Bonnie Christine's Surface Design Immersion course. Today, and in a few upcoming episodes, we want to introduce you to the other women in our group and tell their inspiring Startist stories. In our peer group, each of us had one or two main goals that we hope to accomplish with…

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94: Larry Pile's 6 Tips for Getting Started with Art Festivals 17:15

2+ y ago17:15

17:15

Last week, we introduce you to Larry Pile, a prolific kiln-formed glass artist who has displayed and sold his artwork in over 250 art festivals. Today Larry's back to share his six best tips on getting started with art festivals. STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/artfestivaltips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/group…

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93: Getting Started with Art Festivals with Larry Pile 1:06:43

3y ago1:06:43

1:06:43

Larry Pile is a talented, generous, open-hearted and creative kiln-form glass artist in Dallas, TX who loves bold color, form and texture. He consistently explores new techniques , doing amazing things like weaving glass, and generously shares his knowledge with others. You feel completely inspired after spending time with him, whether you are an a…

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92: Nikki's 5 Tips for Going Big with Public Art 4:40

3y ago4:40

4:40

Last week, Laura interviewed Nikki all about how she has gone big with her art in public spaces like the front of a downtown building (now covered in Nikki's gorgeous butterflies) and a recent commission she won inside her local airport. This week, Nikki shares her 5 best tips with you so you can go BIG with your art too! STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTE…

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91: Going Big with your Art in Public Spaces with Nikki May 42:56

3y ago42:56

42:56

We hinted this was coming in a previous episode, but this week Laura is super excited to interview Startist Society's very own Nikki May on how she has literally gone big – as in three stories tall – with her artwork over the last year. She's now working on another special BIG commission for her local airport. She is the perfect example of a Starti…

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90: 5 Tips for Showing Your Face on Video 14:56

3y ago14:56

14:56

Last week, Nikki and Laura talked about the fear of putting yourself out there on video and gave some helpful suggestions on how to get past these fears. Today we are sharing five helpful tips that can help you put these suggestions into action! STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/videotips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook…

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89: Show Your Face on Video 20:13

3y ago20:13

20:13

We've touched on fears in several past episodes, including discussions about the fear of calling yourself an artist, fear about not being good enough, about having nothing to say. We even briefly mentioned being afraid to put ourselves out there and really be seen, and that's what we are talking about in today's episode. With Facebook and Instagram…

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88: Will AI Art Replace Artists? 21:25

3y ago21:25

21:25

There's currently a lot of buzz around AI Art. Many think Artificial intelligence may become the new normal. It's been used for everything from chat bots to creation of artwork, and it has the ability to composite hundreds of thousands of images into elaborate new pieces of art in less than 60 seconds. So what does this mean for the art world? Shou…

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87: Getting Back in the Groove 26:16

3y ago26:16

26:16

Startist Society is back from our extended fall break and ready to get back in the groove! In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about what they've been doing during their break, catch you up on what's new in their lives, and talk about how difficult it can be to get back to being creative and productive after a long break. Listen in as they share …

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86: The Importance of Taking Breaks 9:46

3y ago9:46

9:46

We live in a society that seems to praise busyness and burning the candle at both ends, but it's time for us to shift this paradigm and begin to recognize the importance of rest, of pacing yourself and preserving your energy. And when it comes to social media, podcasting, marketing and more, folks are so worried that they'll be forgotten if they ta…

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85: Developing a Signature Style 17:11

3+ y ago17:11

17:11

Everyone talks about the importance of discovering or developing your signature style in art or design. When you're just starting out, or if you have many different interests or media, this kind of feels impossible to figure out. In this episode, we talk about the reasons for having your own style, whether or not it's important, and provide you wit…

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84: Peggy Dean's Tips for Building a Multi-Passionate Creative Career 11:17

3+ y ago11:17

11:17

Last week, we introduced you to Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters, an artist, author and educator extraordinaire. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, definitely check it out. Peggy gave us such great advice on growing a successful business while breaking all the rules that this week, we've invited her back to share with us …

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83: Building a Multi-Passionate Creative Career with Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters 1:28:09

3+ y ago1:28:09

1:28:09

This week's guest is Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters. Peggy is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, an artist, author and educator. And she is a great example of a Startist! Peggy is the author of eight books, a top teacher on Skillshare with over 50 classes on drawing, painting, lettering, digital art and more. She has her own creative membership cal…

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82: How to Start a Sketchbook Practice 21:22

3+ y ago21:22

21:22

In episode 9, we talked about our love of art supplies and our addiction to purchasing sketchbooks. Every once in a while we actually fill some up. Have you ever wanted to start a sketchbook of your own? In this episode, we are going talk about our own sketchbook practices, why we have them, suggestions on how to choose the right sketchbook and mor…

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81: 5 Tips on Getting Your Artwork Published with Janine Vangool 11:40

3+ y ago11:40

11:40

Last week, we introduced you to Janine Vangool, designer and publisher of Uppercase Magazine. She shared her Startist story with us and all about launching and publishing her gorgeous magazine. Today she's back to share her five best tips for getting your artwork published in magazines, maybe even in hers! STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE PDF TIP…