What if starting to sell your art (again… or for the first time) could be simpler than you’re making it?

After 21 years of building a successful art business, I’m sharing the foundational starting point I would choose if I were beginning today—without trying to do everything at once, without performing online, and without burning out.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or stuck in “I don’t know what to focus on first,” this episode will help you cut through the noise and choose a direction you can actually follow.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The most common reason Artists feel overwhelmed when marketing (and how to fix it)
• Why selling your art is about connection, not convincing
• The simple “start here” approach I’d follow today to build momentum
• How to think in 90-day focus seasons instead of yearly pressure
• Why consistency matters more than bursts of motivation (especially when life is full)
• How to stop being a “shiny squirrel” and do more of what’s actually working

I’m also sharing a little behind-the-scenes honesty about the perfection loop so many of us fall into—where we wait until we feel ready… and end up pausing instead of taking action.

Listen through the lens of: “What if this works?”

Because it really can.

Ready to create your plan?

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge starting January 12 at:

profitableartistchallenge.shinepages.com

What if selling your art online could work for YOU?

After 21 years of building a successful art business online, I'm sharing the 5 key insights I wish I'd known from day one. If you're wondering whether it's really possible to sell your art online, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why selling art is about so much more than just posting pretty pictures
• The one investment that will make or break your online art sales
• How to approach pricing from a place of confidence instead of guesswork
• Why showing up consistently matters more than getting likes or comments
• The simple strategy that prevents overwhelm when marketing your art
• Plus, my bonus insight about who's actually buying art online (hint: it might surprise you!)

I started with an email list of 8 people and no podcast listeners, but I believed it was possible and showed up consistently. That belief and consistency built the foundation for everything that followed.

Listen through the lens of "what if this works?" instead of doubt - because it really can work for you too.

Ready to create your plan? Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge starting June 16th at profitableartistchallenge.com

What if I told you that planning could actually be your creativity's best friend instead of its enemy?

In today's episode, I'm getting real about how my relationship with planning completely transformed - especially as a new mom navigating the biggest identity shift of my life. If you've ever resisted planning because it feels restrictive or anti-creative, this episode is for you.

I used to be that free-spirited creative who thought planning would kill my spontaneity and rob me of those magical moments of inspiration. I believed that "Artists" worked purely from flow, not structure. Sound familiar?

But here's what I've discovered: planning isn't the enemy of creativity - it's actually what creates MORE space for your creative flow to happen.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I used to resist planning with everything in my creative being (and the fears that held me back)
• How becoming a new mom made planning absolutely essential for my mental wellness
• Why "I don't have time to plan" is actually the biggest sign that you NEED to start planning
• How planning has become part of my creative practice and mental health routine
• The reframe that changed everything: planning as a container for freedom, not a restriction
• Practical tips for creatives who struggle with structure, including working with your natural energy rhythms

The truth is, when you have a framework to work within, you actually free up mental energy to focus on what matters most. Planning brings presence, peace, and perceptivity to your creative practice.

As I share in this episode, planning has literally become my best friend during one of the most challenging seasons of my life. It's not about perfection - it's about creating a practice that brings you back to yourself and helps you make progress on what truly matters.

If this episode inspires you, and you're ready to discover how planning can actually amplify your creativity while supporting your mental wellness, join me for the summertime session of the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge.

This is the perfect time to check in on what you set in motion at the beginning of the year, celebrate your progress, and create a sustainable plan for the second half of 2025. We'll go from big picture vision all the way down to your daily practices.

Join us starting June 16th at profitableartistchallenge.com - because the most successful artists aren't the ones who wait for inspiration to strike. They're the ones who create the conditions for creativity to flourish.

As this episode goes live, the new Creative Planner just arrived hot off the presses! It's undated for exactly this reason - so you can start fresh anytime. Grab yours at creativethursday.com before they sell out (they've sold out every edition so far!).

Welcome to another edition of Artist Success Stories.

In this episode I'm joined by 4 of our Alumni; Molly Ovenden, Anita Driessen, Cindy Scheule, and Jen Duregger sharing

• why saying YES is more important than saying NO
• how to finally stop making excuses and take yourself seriously as an Artist
• how to show up with consistency
• how BIG changes in your personal life can be the opening to following your dreams
• how sharing your gifts as a gift can spark a new career path

Doors to Artful Selling 2025 are OPEN starting now through Tuesday, January 21 @ 11:59 pm PST

🎨 Transform Your Art Business:

Craft your Art Sales + Marketing Plan for 2025 and beyond. Make more art, sell more art, and turn your dreams into reality.

💡 Get Clarity and Achieve Your Dreams:

This time, it's about follow-through! Having a Sales and Marketing Plan is the most effective way to confidently and consistently sell to your Ideal Collectors online. Let's build a thriving business that supports a life you love.

📆 Your 12-Month Product Launch Plan:

Know what you're creating, when you're launching it, and how to price it for PROFIT.

📱 Create Your Social Media Plan:

Unlock the secrets to impactful social media strategies.

📧 Create Your Email Marketing Plan:

Learn the art of email marketing for successful art promotion.

🌟 Ready to Make Selling Your Art Easy?

We can't wait to welcome you!

Join us

https://artfulselling.com/

You can find all things

Molly Ovenden @mollyovendencreativity on instagram

Anita Driessen @neetydee on instagram

Cindy Shuele @watercolourbycindy on instagram

Jen Duregger @jensheartstudio on instagram

No goal setting necessary.

12 months from now how would you like to feel about your time spent in 2025?

What matters most to you that you want to prioritize and focus on?

My first podcast back after welcoming home Baby Shay!

Four weeks in as a parent with a newborn, and already so much new insight on time management, and even more passion for the power of planning that I can't wait to share.

In this episode I step you through the 3 ways I'm defining what matters most in 2025 - no pressure, no goal setting -just creating a clear path forward.

And if you'd like to feel lighter, get more clarity, and feel confident about where you're focusing first this year, I'm hosting my annual Profitable Artist Plan, a fun and inspiring week together to help you create your ideal plan for 2025,

We start this Monday, January 13!

Save your spot here

https://profitableartistchallenge.shinepages.com/

Spontaneous creation or being prepared ahead of time with your content? which do you prefer?

Continuing on with our series, part 3, of answering your Time Management questions; I'm opening this episode with a few more social media creation tips, specifically for video, while also sharing more tools to help you get and stay organized with your assets, marketing plan and project management.

• what and when I record behind the scenes to use in my social media marketing
• app recommendations for video editing
• my favorite project management tools and how I use them specifically for my social media planning

Yay! it's almost go time!

We start Monday, January 15

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

Be honest: how's your 2024 Social Media plan looking?

Are you feeling ready with a big picture strategy in place, or are you reading this thinking, Marisa what are you talking about "ready", I barely know what to post tomorrow let alone the rest of 2024

Would you like to feel more prepared when it comes to your marketing?

What if this is the year you could change the hamster wheel approach of: overwhelm + procrastinate = now I feel behind so why bother with any sort of plan at all ~

to breathing easier because you feel clear and excited about what you're creating and sharing with the wonderful people who can't wait to see (and collect) what you're working on.

On this first Creative Thursday of the new year, the energy of clarity that comes with a clean slate is on your side which is why I'm excited to welcome you to part 2 of the Time Management series where I'm continuing to answer your questions and sharing tips on how to organize your social media content so that you're not constantly trying to figure out "what to post" and wondering whether what you post will actually help you reach your people and grow your Art business.

When I find myself getting overloaded by a long list of to dos, a simple practice of physical and/or digital organization is the best place to start to catch my breath and clear my head.

With that approach in mind let's get into some practical tips to help you get organized.

In this episode, I share:

• what tools and apps I use to organize and back-up my assets
• how I organize my photos and social media images so that they're easy to find
• what apps I use to enhance and elevate my photography

It's getting close now...let's kick off the new year, with an inspiring planning session together.

We start Monday, January 15

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

First ~ thank you for your kind messages about our recent loss.

Holiday time, depending upon how you like to approach this season, can be filled with long to-do lists, countless visits, parties, and celebrations, or if you're like me, a perfect time for a peaceful reset.

Very intentional about how we choose to spend Christmas, Sean and I often opt for a quiet celebration which leads to a perfect opening to dream, plan, and prepare for what's next.

Over the past few years of a rapidly growing business, this has been the best time to get caught up and reset, from organizing to planning along with getting a head start on upcoming projects, especially those happening at the start of the new year (get excited and save the date! the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge and Coaching week starts Monday, January 15)

On the last episode I invited you to send me your questions about time management, and this is the first in a series of 3 answering what you asked about the most with today's part 1 focusing on a very popular topic: Social Media, specifically how I plan my Social Media from content creation to posting.

In this episode, I share with you:

• the BIG mistake I see many Artists making when it comes to how and when they post to their Social Media
• what you must have clarity on FIRST to effectively post to your Social Media
• why it's important to understand your relationship with selling and being sold to
• how I like to plan my Social Media shares
• my best practices for planning and posting your Social Media content

See you January 15 for an inspiring + fun 2024 Planning session!

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

we start Monday, January 15

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

You can find all things Marisa and Creative Thursday

creativethursday.com

and on instagram and facebook

@creativethursday

The tradition continues for the 3rd year in a row!

I'm back with my 2022 year in review.

At the close of each year, I share a behind-the-scenes studio wrap-up of what worked and what didn't when it came to my art practice and my creative business.

How did my work impact my personal life and this year especially how did my personal life impact my business?

One of the most challenging years filled with a new level of growing pains plus the emotional and physical pains left over from a significant amount of personal health stress ~ I share:

• my biggest lessons I learned
• the progress I made in spite of it all
• what I'm choosing to leave behind
• what I'm choosing to take with me into 2023
• what I'm most grateful for even through the hard lessons learned

Ready to start fresh for 2023 and kick-off your year with clarity + focus for your Art business!

Join me for the Profitable Artist Plan

https://profitableartistchallenge.com/

My planning practice, or rather my planning obsession, has reached a new level and I've got a brand new tip to share with you in this episode.

Inspired by another new love for project management - something that before my business started to grow to include a team that I had no idea "was a thing" - this planning tip is good for both using pen (preferably markers!) + paper and digital.

I’m also celebrating the release of the brand new 2nd edition limited edition 2023 creative planner, which is date free so you can start it or use it at any time of the year that you like.