Every weekend I spend 5 to 6 hours in the car driving between New Bedford, MA  and New Haven, CT and about 30 - 40 hrs in the studio during the week. That means plenty of time for me to absorb some knowledge. Lately I've been loving podcasts that feed my brain insightful stories and strategies geared towards artists or sometimes more broadly, entrepreneurs. No one suggests that you take a business class in college when you're an art major, which is puzzling on it's own.

To make up for that, I've found some awesome podcasts to help a sista out. The qualifier to making it on this list was simple; after I listened to two or three episodes, did I find myself going into the archives craving for more? Out of the two dozen (and counting) podcasts I've sampled, these made the cut (in no particular order).

Being Boss 
Hosted by two lovely ladies, Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon, They delve into--you guessed it--being boss. They cover topics like goal setting, organization, self care, and tons of other things pertinent to running a business. This podcast a super special bonus: an active and supportive Facebook group filled with people answering questions and offering advice on a myriad of subjects.

Elise Gets Crafty
This was one of the first podcasts I found that felt like a great fit for what I needed. Elise Blaha Cripe started off making scrapbook supplies (which is surprisingly a larger industry than I expected) and is currently into making planner, the Get to Work Book. This one is especially helpful for those selling a physical, creative/artistic product. Each episode gets pretty specific about different aspects of being an artist/maker, like her episode on creative burnout. 

Tales of a Red Clay Rambler
Ok Ok, obviously as a ceramicist I'm drawn to a podcast that interviews clay artists, but hear me out! This podcast is great for anyone who is interested in the lives of professional artists, how they got to where they are in their career, theoretical talk about art stuff, and sometimes conversations about teaching. Ben Carter does a great job of keeping it conversational, so it's like you're right there in the room with them.

The Potter's Cast
Did you think I'd mention one without the other? Like ToaRCR, Paul Blais interviews clay artists and I will argue the same points of it's legitimacy for artists in other mediums. The tagline is "Picking up where the art degree ends" which is on point; his questions are a bit more practical. He'll often reiterate actions or advice his listeners can implement to their own practice. Bonus! He sometimes hosts webinars filled with actionable tips for running an artsy business.

Art For Your Ear
This fairly new show, hosted by Danielle of The Jealous Curator, has quickly become a favorite of mine. She interviews artists of all sorts of mediums and keeps it fun and interesting. In addition to asking them about their art life, she asks the important questions like coffee vs. tea, or what color their first prom dress was. Plus, her blog is chock FULL of contemporary art and I highly recommend perusing through it when you get a chance.

What's Your Story
Meighan O'Toole "sits down with artists, makers and creative individuals to talk about their work, hear about their stories and anything else that comes up in between." Her conversations are fluid and inspiring, offering glimpses into the professional (and sometimes personal) lives of her guests. Plenty of discussions about creative type theories happen here.

Pencil Kings
So as I was running out of episodes of all my other podcasts, I searched for and found this gem (which is how I end up finding most of my listening material). Mitch Bowler interviews illustrators and other two-dimensional artists about how they got to where they are, offering advice all throughout. The episodes I've listened to so far reveal opportunities besides the gallery route, like working with video games, animation companies, video games, and comic books. 

Raise Your Hand. Say Yes.
Tiffany Han's podcast is brimming with inspiration, focusing on the abstract parts of running a creative business. Topics include fear, imposter complex, collaborations, authenticity, and so much more. Every episode leaves me asking myself important questions about how I want to not only run my business, but how I want to run my life. One of her most popular projects is the 100 Rejection Letters, which is all about putting yourself out there; hence the title.

Smart Passive Income
This is the most business-y podcast I actually like so far. Most others can be a bit dry for me, since business is not my primary interest. Host Pat Flynn offers too many great tips in every episode, especially if you're interested in things like starting an e-book, SEO, email list building, customer/audience psychology, and a bunch of other strategical, actionable advice. 

After the Jump
Creator of Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney, interviews creative entrepreneurs of all types, including ice cream makers, the men behind The Brooklyn Flea, and one of my personal favorites, Molly Hatch! Her interviews are straightforward and fun--my favorite format. There are currently 100 episodes up, which I blew through in about two months; now I'm waiting for more. 

So what are your favorite podcasts? have you listened to any of these? I'd love to know!

Ahhh, Blogging. As a millennial it is a familiar pass time (livejournal anyone?). I'm looking forward to posting here about my career as an artist and surrounding topics. My blog has gone through so many iterations, but this one will be the most concise yet. Here's what I'm excited to share with you:

• WIPs - The most obvious thing as an artist to share would be my works in progress. I already share a ton on my instagram and snapchat, but here I want to go into further detail about process or subject matter.
• Professional tips - I'm currently in the phase of intense professional research to prepare myself for the next step beyond this post bacc. In other words, I'm a sponge soaking' up so knowledge! Anything helpful I find I would love to share with you all. #communityovercompetition
• Inspiration - Ceramics is in a funny place, straddling the line between art and craft (which is a whole philosophical debate I have with myself daily--besides the point). I come across so many different artists/makers/designers that can be applicable or inspire this medium and I want to highlight a few every now and then.

Here's to a new blog, a new beginning :)