In this episode, life happened. Technology failed, mili-second power outages were at play, user error was in also in the mix, and my Clubhouse talk didn’t get recorded. It can be so frustrating to experience hiccups that get in the way of your best laid plans!

Though this episode did not go as expected, there’s a great lesson to be learned...

Also if you're hearing this first thing in the morning, we're back on Clubhouse today for an episode on Email Marketing for Artists @ 10:10 am PDT in the Creative Thursday Club. See you there!

Click on the link below to go directly to the room when we go live.

https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/PrWK54Ol

Did I mention that I got an Egg Chair for our garden? 🥚❤️⁣
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Did I also mention that I still haven’t taken it outside yet?⁣
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And did I mention that you can find me + the studio mates (sometimes all 3 of them) in this exact spot at some point every day from coffee to wine time.⁣
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Let’s just say I unpacked the box right here in our living room, never moved it, and now we currently have an oversized piece of furniture in a space that is most definitely too small for it. ⁣
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But who cares, because these are still extraordinary times and I’ll take my comfort and joy where I can get it. And Sean is tolerating the overcrowded living room for now ⁣
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This egg chair has become my Quarantine, step away from the chaos hideaway + sanctuary. (Plus there’s a really good view out the great big picture window that looks out on our back yard from this spot)⁣
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Tell me, what’s your current sanctuary, favorite “safe” comfort + joy spot, oh and! beverage of choice? ☕️🍷

As we head into more interesting times on top of already extremely interesting times, I'm sharing 4 tips for how I'm finding stability in chaos especially over the next few weeks.

That time you rewrite your bio, and in search for your bio photo, come across one of your very first professional shoots from 2005.

A graphic designer & interior designer, (who really wanted to sell Art but wasn’t sure that my work was ”good enough”) I started Creative Thursday with selling my hand-painted vintage chairs.

This was one of my favorites, her name was Edith (I named each chair & wrote it on the bottom along with my signature + date)

I started this Creative Business with a passion to share my journey and inspire creativity for all 💕.

I thought if I could so this, self-taught, little to no formal training, there is no reason why you can't too!!

So my motto became, let’s do this together! I’ll take you along for the ride, share my story + give you peeks behind the curtain, opening up about challenges + wins along the way.

As I write this almost exactly 15 years to the date from the time this photo was taken (Sean, me + my chair at the entrance to the tiny Laurel Canyon bungalow we rented from a friend, when we first moved in together as a couple) - I’m ready to tell a new chapter to the story.

I did it. Built my dream business as a Working Artist, (with my paintings!) shipped over 10K packages with my Art all over the world, had a book published, designed 9 fabric collections and sold a few chairs along the way too 😊

But what happens next? 15 yrs in, what do I believe is possible now that I didn’t before & where did my fertility challenges + loss along with comparison of Artists who came up with me at the same time + expectations of where I “should be by now” slowly chip away at my spirit + confidence.

What’s next?
Evolution, reinvention, growing up, awareness, recognition of a strong, quiet wisdom + aligning with my true purpose + the desire to guide other Artists so they don’t have to experience the same struggles.

What happens when you want to evolve your work?
Artists often find success in a certain style & then feel trapped in one voice or color palette. They resist change because now their income is dependent on that 1 style. And because change is “scary” 😳

Reinvention is the story I want to tell now #creativethursdaybymarisa

It's official!! The 40" x 30" painting I've been working on throughout the L.A. Quarantine ~ one of my largest and most detailed pieces to date is complete.

The Artist’s secret to finishing a piece of work: give yourself a deadline​
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Over years of painting characters and animals in different settings I had never painted a Jungle before.

Technically I began this painting on a whim during one of our painting nights when I had my large studio almost 2 years ago.

And it had been sitting, just waiting to be finished all this time.

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​It was the extra time home and a desire not only to complete this painting but to challenge myself as a painter...something I’d clearly been avoiding which is why ahem I stopped shortly after I started... 40” x 30” is a far cry from my familiar small size of 6” x 6” 😳

Working through all the details took much longer than anticipated, and I also unexpectedly discovered how much I love having one large painting to return to day after day.

I've always felt fulfilled with my art through the process of creating and completing a piece in one sitting with my daily painting practice.

Stepping out of my comfort zone opened up a whole new avenue to explore with my work, and I can't wait to see where this leads.
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​I promised myself it would be finished at the end of the quarantine and while we’re not quite there yet, I feel a gentle shift back to some aliveness and (socially distanced) in person connection 💕and it feels like it’s time for this painting to be completed - that, and - I am also ready to begin new work!​
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Because you know what happens when you commit to regular creating- your creative inspiration gains serious momentum. The muse is in the house!

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Voila! a finished painting and a happy Artist (with even longer bangs.)

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Stay well + creative xo Marisa

​Enjoy the Quarantine Jungle!​

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The choices in my life that I am the most thankful for are when I didn't wait for the "right time", but instead listened to the call of my dreams and decided it was time.

As I venture forward on what I shared with you in last week's podcast, this is a personal message from me to you.

Join the waitlist for The Creative Outliers, re-opening in October 2019

https://www.creativethursdaycourses.com/creative-outliers-waitlist 

Are you ready? To commit to this life filled with work you love and by work you love ~ I mean working for yourself. No, maybe you're not ready to turn your passion into the self-employed life because it absolutely can also be fulfilled in a job with the best kind of boss, but if you are ready to take your work into your own hands? then this episode is for you! As you can imagine, this conversation is much deeper than a podcast episode but these 4 tips will kickstart your commitment.

Join me next Thursday to take the conversation further

"How to Grow Your Income so that You will Have More Time to Make your Art" creativethursdaycourses.com/moreincome

Get your pen and paper ready, because you're going to want to take notes, and listen back a couple of times. Alina generously shares what became more than a podcast episode, but a Class on Marketing and Finding Your Right Customers. This episode may dramatically change your perspective on Marketing. How you market your business will never be the same.

Join me today, 3 pm PT, for my very first Creative Roundtable and Masterclass "Finding Your Right Customers" where Alina is my special guest.

http://bit.ly/creative-roundtable

Today, March 28, is the LAST day to join us in the Creative Outliers 

http://bit.ly/thecreativeoutliers 

You can find all things Alina at

Alina.work 

Listening to this episode will not only make you want to be a better business owner, artist, and designer, but you'll want to be a better human. Ashley's story will inspire you in so many ways, especially reminding all of us to step out of our bubbles and experience the world with more compassion. I know you are going to love my conversation with Ashley G and the story of her new venture Shop Poirier.

You can find all things Ashley G. and Shop Poirier here

www.ashleygoldberg.com

www.shoppoirier.com

@ashleygoldberg

@shoppoirier

Today, 3/7/19 I'm celebrating 12 years of making a living as a working artist! In this episode, I share more of the story behind the significance of this day, what lead me to that moment of making a consistent living with my art, plus my 7 best lessons, tips, and advice for growing a sustainable creative business.  

Meet Iris Scott, a Brooklyn-based Oil Finger Painting Artist since 2009; dedicated to creating and building a business that stays true to her vision. Iris is an artist who creates from Joy. In our conversation, she shares her journey that began with a year of making art in Taiwan, selling paintings for $150 to selling them 9 years later for $50,000. We talk about everything from what it means to "make Art for Art's Sake" the movement towards collecting Joyful Art, how to connect with your collectors, how not to be an Art Brat, and what it takes to become a Thriving Artist in today's possibility filled marketplace. 

"Go practice, just go make stuff and focus on what's working and make more of it. And you will inevitably innovate in ways no other human has innovated in that specific thing." - Iris Scott

You can find all things Iris Scott at:

http://irisscottfineart.com

instagram: @irisscottart