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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Claudia, Sophie and Caroline, exploring burnout, artistic identity, selling artwork, creative validation and the challenge of moving beyond your comfort zone.
Claudia is recovering from severe burnout after a lifetime of pursuing challenge, achievement and new experiences. Recently diagnosed with autism and ADHD, she finally has the time, space and resources to dedicate herself to art. Yet instead of feeling liberated, she feels paralysed. Torn between botanical illustration, oil painting, printmaking and mokuhanga, she worries that choosing one path means abandoning all the others. We explore the difference between curiosity and achievement, why art doesn't have a finish line, and whether her real challenge might not be choosing a medium but learning how to stay with something after the novelty has worn off.
Sophie is a mixed-media artist and teacher from New York who dreams of making larger, more ambitious textile and mixed-media work. She has built a website and online shop but struggles to generate sales, dislikes markets and has consciously chosen not to use social media. As a result, she finds herself questioning whether she can justify investing more time, space and energy into her creative practice. We talk about the difference between an art practice and an art business, why sales aren't the same thing as validation, and how artists can build visibility without relying on social media.
Caroline has been steadily drawing flowers for several months and feels ready to move beyond simple studies. She'd love to create richer, more complex compositions, but every time she tries she feels overwhelmed and doesn't know where to begin. We discuss how to create a simple still-life setup that can act as a stage for her drawings, allowing confidence and complexity to grow naturally over time.
Also in this episode, I answer a quick listener question from Katharina about painting churches, landmarks and tourist attractions, and whether artists are allowed to sell postcards and artwork based on those locations.
In this episode, I explore:
• The difference between achievement and curiosity in a creative practice
• Why some artists struggle when there is no clear finish line or measure of success
• How burnout can affect the way we approach creativity
• The relationship between novelty, mastery and artistic growth
• Why sales should not be the sole source of creative validation
• The difference between an art practice and an art business
• Alternative ways to build visibility without relying on social media
• How to move from simple studies to more complex compositions
• The value of creating a familiar framework for your drawings
• Why artists often worry about invisible rules that don't really existEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you'd like me to explore, please email me at:
If you're feeling stuck in your own creative practice and would like support, you can find out more about my creative coaching, workshops and artwork at:
www.sammarshallart.com
You can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart.
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Mimi, Louise and Cally – exploring digital art, creative time, financial security and the realities of building a creative life.
Mimi is a retired nurse, educator and psychotherapist from the Pacific Northwest who returned to her first love of making art later in life. She creates digital artwork using Procreate and produces giclée prints, but has repeatedly been told by local exhibitions that they "don't do digital work". We talk about misconceptions around digital art in the age of AI, why some art spaces may still be catching up with newer mediums, and how artists can find their audience even when traditional institutions don't yet understand their work.
Louise is a hand embroidery artist from South Africa who left teaching to pursue her creative practice full time. While she feels incredibly grateful to be making a living through commissions, she finds herself with little time left for her own ideas, series and creative exploration. We discuss the tension between earning from creativity and protecting it, why your own work deserves a place in the diary alongside paid work, and the importance of creating boundaries around creative time.
Cally is a printmaker and secondary school teacher who has spent more than twenty-five years balancing teaching with her artistic practice. Now in her fifties and feeling burnt out, she wonders whether she should take a sabbatical, retire early or continue teaching for a little longer. We talk about grief for the creative life we imagined we'd have, financial fears rooted in childhood experiences, and why building a runway towards change can sometimes be kinder and wiser than taking a leap into the unknown.
In this episode, I explore:
• Why rejection isn't always about quality, but sometimes about category and understanding
• How artists working in newer mediums can help audiences connect with their process
• The challenge of protecting personal creativity when paid work fills every available hour
• Why creating boundaries around creative time can be just as important as earning from it
• The grief many creatives feel for the artistic life they imagined they might have had
• How financial fears rooted in childhood experiences can shape creative decisions decades later
• Why gathering information can be more helpful than making dramatic leaps
• The difference between taking a leap and building a runway towards change
• How to make decisions from facts rather than fearEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you'd like me to explore, please email me at:
You can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Caroline, Alison and Laurel – exploring the emotional complexity of pricing artwork, the overwhelm of constantly changing creative direction, and the question of whether a calming creative hobby should become a business at all.
Caroline is a printmaker who has started selling her linoprints at fairs and markets, but pricing her work leaves her constantly second guessing herself. If a print doesn’t sell, she feels tempted to lower the price immediately, yet afterwards worries she has undervalued the work entirely. We talk about the emotional side of pricing creative work, the pressure of standing beside your work at fairs, why artists often struggle to separate value from self-worth, and how to develop a pricing framework that feels sustainable without losing accessibility and generosity.
Alison started drawing and painting three years ago and has become completely obsessed with creativity, but finds herself constantly flip-flopping between watercolour, acrylic, mixed media and different artistic influences online. Every new artist she discovers sparks excitement, but also leaves her feeling creatively unanchored and unsure what direction to pursue. We talk about overstimulation in the internet age, the difference between curiosity and creative fragmentation, why style usually emerges slowly through repetition, and the importance of staying with something long enough to move beyond the initial excitement.
After retiring two years ago, Laurel discovered crocheting and now describes it as “yoga for my hands.” She’s been making beautiful ponchos for friends and family and is wondering whether she should start selling them online through somewhere like Etsy. But with each piece taking weeks to make, she feels unsure whether she wants a business at all, or simply a gentler way of sharing her work. We talk about the pressure to monetise hobbies, the emotional shift that happens when creativity becomes commercial, and how to share handmade work without losing the joy that made you fall in love with it in the first place.
In this episode, I explore:
• Why pricing artwork is often far more emotional than practical
• The pressure artists feel when selling work face-to-face at fairs and markets
• How accessibility and sustainability can sometimes pull in opposite directions
• Why social media can leave creatives feeling overstimulated and creatively fragmented
• The difference between curiosity and constantly abandoning work too soon
• How artistic style often emerges slowly through repetition rather than force
• The pressure many people feel to monetise hobbies after retirement
• Why creativity does not always need to become a full business
• Gentler ways to begin sharing handmade work without losing the joy of makingEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
You can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart
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In this special episode of The Creative Couch, I’m joined by a very special guest… my mum.
Before we headed off together to Italy for my recent drawing and printmaking retreat, I asked listeners to send in their questions for her — and this episode became such a lovely, funny and genuinely heartfelt conversation.
We talk about all the things people are always asking me about her: her creativity, her sense of style, how she manages to look so glamorous at 80, and whether she secretly has some kind of fitness regime (spoiler: she absolutely does not).
We also talk about motherhood, independence, confidence, ageing, supporting creativity in your children, and what it’s been like having a daughter who has always lived such a creative life.
It was recorded just before we left for Italy together, so now that we’re back home again, it feels like a really lovely little snapshot of that moment in time.
We didn’t manage to answer every question that was sent in, but thank you so much to everybody who contributed — there were so many thoughtful and brilliant questions.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore in a future episode, you’re always welcome to send it to [email protected]
You can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Sarah, Lyn and Helen – exploring artistic ethics, building a mailing list from scratch, and the vulnerable question of whether to create under your own name or hide behind a brand.
Sarah recently spotted a print in an exhibition that looked strikingly similar to another artist’s well-known work. The similarities immediately left her feeling uncomfortable and questioning where the line exists between inspiration and imitation. She found herself wondering whether she was overreacting, whether the gallery or artist would already know, and whether she had any responsibility to say something at all. How do we navigate those ethically blurred creative situations without becoming “the art police”, and what responsibility do artists have when something simply doesn’t sit right?
Lyn is an abstract painter from Virginia who is trying to build a mailing list completely from scratch. Without a website, newsletter or strategy already in place, the whole process feels overwhelming and difficult to begin. We talk about the emotional resistance artists often have around self-promotion, how to start building an audience slowly and organically, and the practical realities of creating a newsletter through exhibitions, markets, workshops and genuine connection rather than aggressive marketing tactics.
Helen lives in Mallorca and is preparing to start selling her prints, but finds herself stuck on the surprisingly emotional question of whether to use her own name or work under a brand identity instead. Her surname feels difficult, foreign and disconnected from the place where she now lives and makes work, and part of her wonders whether hiding behind a more carefully constructed brand would feel safer. We talk about visibility, identity, authenticity, belonging, and why people often connect more deeply to a real person than a polished brand.
In this episode, I explore:
• The emotional difference between inspiration and imitation
• Why ethically uncomfortable situations in the art world can feel so complicated
• Whether artists have a responsibility to intervene when something feels “off”
• How to begin building a mailing list from absolute scratch
• Why newsletters are more about connection than marketing
• The importance of growing an audience slowly and authentically
• Why many artists feel vulnerable using their own name publicly
• How branding can sometimes become a way of hiding
• Why authenticity and personality matter more than appearing “perfect” onlineEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
You can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Barbara, Mimi and Juilette – exploring framing and exhibitions, comparison and creative growth, and the pressure we place on ourselves through sketchbooks.
Barbara has started selling her paintings and is now thinking more seriously about exhibitions and presenting her work professionally. But framing has suddenly become a confusing world full of hidden rules and standards she doesn’t fully understand. From hanging systems and ready-made frames to worries about whether her work looks “professional enough”, she finds herself second-guessing every decision. How do you know what’s good enough when it comes to framing, and how do you stop presentation anxiety from undermining your confidence as an artist?
Mimi has been painting watercolours for more than 35 years and has built a successful practice creating detailed miniature works that have sold well and received awards. But after immersing herself in classes, webinars, podcasts and online inspiration, she’s finding herself overwhelmed by comparison and increasingly disconnected from her own voice. At the same time, she’s trying to work larger and looser, but feels clumsy and discouraged every time she attempts it. Should she stay with the style she already excels at, or keep pushing herself into unfamiliar territory in the hope that something new might emerge?
Juilette loves the idea of keeping travel sketchbooks and carefully packs beautiful drawing materials every time she goes away. But when she actually arrives, she freezes. Between perfectionism, pressure to make “good” drawings, and struggling to claim time for herself while travelling with her husband, she often comes home with a blank sketchbook and a heavy sense of disappointment. How do you build a genuine sketchbook habit without turning drawing into another thing to get right?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why comparison often increases when we consume too much creative input
• The difference between growth and proof of failure
• Why awkwardness is often a sign of expansion in your practice
• How framing can become emotionally tied to legitimacy and professionalism
• Why simple presentation is often enough for exhibitions and sales
• The pressure sketchbooks can quietly carry
• How perfectionism stops us from noticing small meaningful moments
• Why creativity often begins to flow again when we lower the stakesEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I’m joined by painter Laura Smith for the first in a new series of creative conversations with artists, friends and fellow creatives about their practice and creative lives.
Although the podcast began with me responding to creative dilemmas sent in by listeners, it was always my intention to intersperse those episodes with longer, more open-ended conversations with other creatives, and I’m so happy to be starting that part of the podcast with Laura.
Laura and I have known each other for years. We both studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and later at the Royal Drawing School, and in this conversation we settle in for a thoughtful, wide-ranging chat about painting, creativity, teaching and the realities of sustaining a creative life over time.
We talk about studio life, living and working in London, balancing creative practice with other commitments, and our experiences of social media and Instagram as working artists. We also discuss painters we admire, including Giorgio Morandi, the importance of looking slowly, and the artists and exhibitions that have been inspiring us lately.
Along the way, we share recommendations, reflections on teaching, thoughts on creative pressure, and some honest conversation about the quieter, less visible parts of maintaining an artistic practice.
You can find Laura on Instagram at @Laurajrsmith.
We’ll be returning to creative dilemmas next week, so if you’ve got a dilemma you’d like me to respond to, you can send it to [email protected].
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Dana, Lou and Alan – exploring the frustration of Instagram, the fear around raising prices, and the pressure of making the most of a creative opportunity.
Dana runs a small creative business making lino prints inspired by coastal architecture and tide lines, and once found Instagram a really supportive place to share her work. But as the platform has changed, her reach has dropped, growth has stalled, and the pressure to keep up with reels, trends and constant posting has started to take over. What once felt like connection now feels like performance, leaving her questioning both her work and her place on the platform. How do you continue using Instagram without letting it drain your energy or define your sense of progress?
Lou has been running creative workshops that are gaining momentum, with returning participants and fuller classes, but financially things aren’t adding up. After factoring in travel, materials and venue commissions, she’s barely paying herself, yet feels nervous about raising her prices in case it puts people off or disrupts the growth she’s seeing. When is the right time to increase your prices, and how do you do it without losing the people who already support you?
Alan has rebuilt his creative practice later in life and is now developing his work through printmaking, selling at markets and running workshops. He’s recently been accepted onto an artist residency, giving him two weeks of dedicated time and space to make work. But instead of feeling free, he feels torn between planning too rigidly and risking failure, or going in unprepared and wasting the opportunity. How do you approach something like this without turning it into a test, and how do you balance structure with spontaneity?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why your relationship with Instagram matters more than the algorithm
• How expectations around visibility and growth can quietly drain your energy
• The difference between being busy and being financially sustainable
• Why underpricing often comes from fear rather than strategy
• How to approach opportunities without turning them into something to get “right”
• Why structure and spontaneity aren’t opposites, and how they can support each otherEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Marilyn, Rachel and Jill – exploring the pressure to draw accurately, the weight of creative expectations after a big life change, and the paralysis that comes from overthinking and too many ideas.
Marilyn has loved art her whole life but still feels held back by a voice that tells her her drawings must look exactly like what she sees. After discovering a more expressive way of working, something clicked, but she’s struggling to move away from accuracy and trust her own choices. How do you draw with confidence when you’ve spent years believing there’s a “right” way to do it, and how do you begin to work more freely with colour and mark-making?
Rachel recently stepped away from a long and intense career to create more space for printmaking, but an upcoming exhibition has left her feeling overwhelmed rather than inspired. With her confidence shaken and pressure building, she’s questioning whether she’s ready at all, and feels she needs to create an entirely new body of work to prove herself. How do you approach opportunities like this without turning them into a test, and how do you move forward when everything suddenly feels like it matters too much?
Jill has reached a stage in life where she finally has time to focus on her creativity, but instead of making, she finds herself stuck in overthinking. With multiple mediums, endless ideas, and questions around time, purpose and choosing the “right” project, she hasn’t started anything at all. How do you begin when everything feels important, and how do you stop thinking and start making without needing everything to make sense first?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why accuracy can become a limitation rather than a guide in drawing
• How early experiences shape the way we approach our work, often without us realising
• The pressure that can follow a big life change, and how it can quietly block creativity
• Why you don’t need a whole new body of work to move forward
• How overthinking and too much choice can stop you from beginning
• Why the idea of a “why” can sometimes become unhelpful rather than supportiveEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Magdalena, Carrie and Jennifer – exploring public speaking nerves, feeling pulled in too many creative directions, and the practical realities of shipping artwork.
Magdalena reached out after hearing me talk about that moment of self-awareness when you suddenly realise you’re the one leading the room. With a presentation coming up, she’s feeling anxious about being the focus of attention and how to manage the pressure that comes with it. How do you stay steady when all eyes are on you, and how do you work with nerves rather than against them?
Kari is preparing for a group exhibition and finds herself developing three different bodies of work at once. The direction that excites her most also feels the most uncertain, leaving her torn between playing it safe with work she knows will resolve, or taking a risk on something more personal. Alongside this, she’s struggling with comparison, as others around her seem to produce finished, saleable work with ease. How do you commit to a direction when time is limited, and how do you protect the work that matters most?
Jennifer feels ready to begin selling her artwork, but is held back by the practical challenge of shipping. She’s unsure how to safely package different types of work, whether it’s safe to roll pieces, and how to approach charging for postage. How do you confidently send your work out into the world, knowing it will arrive safely?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why self-awareness can suddenly turn into nerves when you’re being seen, and how to reframe that moment
• The difference between teaching and presenting, and how to approach each with more ease
• How to separate developing new work from preparing for an exhibition
• Why the most meaningful work often feels the least resolved
• Simple, practical ways to package and ship different types of artwork
• How to keep shipping and pricing straightforward without overcomplicating itEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Becky, Emeline and Addy – exploring how to start selling your work, what to do when interest fades after success, and how to navigate creative block in a studio space that no longer feels supportive.
Becky is ready to start selling her hand printed cards and watercolour sketches, but feels overwhelmed by the number of decisions involved. From choosing what to sell to setting up an online shop, she finds herself stuck in the thinking stage and unsure how to begin. How do you move from intention into action without getting paralysed by trying to do everything “properly” from the start?
Emeline describes a pattern in her work where she becomes deeply engaged in the early stages of an idea, experimenting and discovering something new, only to lose interest once the work becomes successful and repeatable. As she moves between different ideas and mediums, she’s left feeling as though she’s not fully invested in any one direction. How do you stay with your work without losing the sense of energy and discovery that made it exciting in the first place?
Addy has recently rented a studio so she can create away from her small flat, but instead of feeling motivated, she finds herself avoiding the space altogether. Without the structure she’s used to from courses, and with the added pressure of the cost, the studio has started to feel more like a burden than a support. How do you begin again when a space meant to help you feels intimidating, and how do you know if it’s actually the right setup for you?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why overwhelm often appears at the point of starting something new, and how to move through it
• How to take small, practical steps towards selling your work without overthinking the process
• The natural rhythms of a creative practice, and why repetition can drain energy from your work
• How to build continuity in your practice even when your ideas and mediums change
• What I call “studio shackles” and how a studio can sometimes create pressure rather than freedom
• Ways to reintroduce structure, rebuild momentum, and make a creative space feel usable againEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Liz, Ziva and Lucy – exploring ownership and boundaries online, creativity through travel, and what happens when success starts to feel like a trap.
Liz has been sharing her embroidery and stitch work online and has recently discovered her images being shared on Pinterest without permission or credit. While part of her feels flattered that her work is resonating, she’s also uncomfortable with how it’s being used. How do you navigate the tension between visibility and ownership, and decide whether to ignore it, address it, or take action?
Ziva is a landscape architect who discovered ceramics through an unstructured journey in Japan. Now she’s questioning whether future creative trips should be planned with intention or left open to unfold naturally. How do you balance structure and spontaneity, and create the right conditions for creativity to emerge while travelling?
Lucy is a mixed media artist whose account grew rapidly after one piece of work went viral. What once felt like a small, connected community now feels overwhelming, and the work that brought her success no longer feels aligned with her practice. How do you move on from the thing that “worked”, especially when it might mean losing followers, engagement, or a sense of security?
In this episode, I explore:
• The tension between being seen and having control over your work online
• When to set boundaries and how to respond when your work is shared without permission
• Why creativity doesn’t come from a lack of planning, but from attention and openness
• How to balance structure and spontaneity when travelling creatively
• What happens when success becomes pressure, and how to recognise when you’ve outgrown it
• Letting go of numbers, expectations, and audiences that no longer align with your practiceEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Lucille, Siobhan and Sam. exploring creative paralysis, letting go of old work, and how to build a meaningful practice in very limited time.
Lucille has a rich and varied creative life, working across drawing, printmaking, basket weaving and decorative painting. But instead of feeling energised by her ideas, she often feels paralysed by them. She finds herself starting work and abandoning it when it doesn’t match what she imagined, and questioning the point of making anything if it isn’t going to be sold or gifted. How do you move forward when creativity starts to feel tied to purpose, pressure and past experiences?
Siobhan’s dilemma is about what happens after the work is made. After decades of keeping sketchbooks, studies and prints, she now feels surrounded by accumulated work and unsure what to keep, what to let go of, and whether photographing everything is the answer. How do you balance memory, sentimentality and space without becoming overwhelmed by your own archive?
Sam is balancing a creative practice alongside work and raising two young children, often drawing in short windows of time. While she’s consistent, she feels stuck with repetitive subject matter and struggles to move her sketchbook work into something more developed. How do you find engaging subject matter, move beyond safe motifs, and build depth when time and energy are limited?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why creativity can become tied to outcome, and how to reclaim making for its own sake
• How past experiences and judgement can shape the way we approach our work
• Letting go of old artwork without losing your sense of creative identity
• How to keep a meaningful archive without becoming overwhelmed
• Finding more engaging subject matter within tight time constraints
• Simple ways to move from sketchbook work into more developed ideasEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Julie, Caroline and Kerry – exploring how to handle being watched while drawing in public, how to get started when you suddenly have all the equipment, and how to stop postponing taking yourself seriously as an artist.
Julie has recently started drawing outside and quickly discovered something many sketchers experience. As soon as you sit down with a sketchbook in public, people become curious. They stop, they look, and they ask what you’re drawing. She noticed that in those moments she instinctively starts apologising for her work, even though she thought she felt quite confident. Why does drawing in public feel so vulnerable, and how do you handle those interactions without undermining yourself?
Caroline has been given a Hawthorn printing press. She’s done lino workshops in the past and has plenty of ideas saved, but now that the press is sitting in her studio she feels overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. How do you move past that feeling of “all the gear and no idea” and actually start enjoying the process of making again?
Kerry describes something many creatives quietly carry. From the outside, it looks as though she already has a creative practice. She makes work regularly, she thinks about it constantly, and it matters deeply to her. But internally she feels as though she hasn’t quite arrived yet, telling herself she’ll take her work seriously once she’s more organised, more skilled, more consistent. How do you stop postponing your creative life and begin inhabiting it now?
In this episode, I explore:
• Why drawing in public can feel vulnerable, and how to handle being watched
• Letting go of apologising for your work and building quiet confidence
• How to get started when you have the tools but feel overwhelmed
• The importance of play and experimentation in printmaking
• Why creative identity is built through action, not arrivalEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at:
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Helen, Sue and Liz – exploring how to organise a creative life when you have multiple roles, how to navigate a shift in your artistic direction, and how to find creative community when making work alone starts to feel lonely.
Helen wrote in after listening to the first episodes and asked a question many creatives will recognise. Like many artists, she doesn’t just have one job. Her week includes teaching, administration, communication and making her own work. How do you structure your days so that creative work doesn’t constantly get pushed aside by everything else that needs doing?
Liz’s dilemma touches on something many artists feel but rarely say out loud: loneliness in the studio. She used to attend a wonderful weekly textile course where students learned alongside each other and were even working towards a shared exhibition. When Covid arrived the group dissolved and never quite reassembled. Since then she has taken online courses, but they never quite replace the feeling of being in a room with other creatives. How do you rebuild real creative community in a world that increasingly feels online?
Sue has built a strong practice around one particular medium. Over the years she has become known for this way of working, and importantly the work sells. She has collectors who buy it and a gallery that regularly takes pieces from her. But recently she has felt a strong pull towards something completely different. How do you know whether a new direction is a genuine evolution in your practice, or simply a distraction that could destabilise something you’ve spent years building?
In this episode, I explore:
• How to structure your time when you have multiple creative roles
• Protecting studio time from admin and teaching work
• Navigating the tension between artistic evolution and financial stability
• Why creative practices naturally shift over time
• Practical ways to rebuild creative community and companionshipEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Chinju, Catherine (with a nod to Siobhan, who sent in a very similar question) and Jane – each exploring creative block, creative overwhelm and the fear that your best work may already be behind you.
Chinju is a busy mum who hasn’t drawn regularly for many years. She feels a deep pull to return to drawing, but when she opens her sketchbook she freezes. The blank page feels intimidating and comparison with other artists creeps in. How do you begin again when creativity feels important but life is already full?
Catherine loves exploring different creative processes – from watercolour sketching and lino printing to quilting and other making. Siobhan wrote in with a very similar dilemma. With so many ideas and interests pulling in different directions, how do you focus your energy and actually finish the work you start?
Jane has made a body of work over the past couple of years that she feels really proud of. But alongside that pride has come an uncomfortable question: what if I’ve already peaked? How do you move forward when you’re worried you might never make work as strong again?
In this episode, I explore:
• Returning to creativity after a long pause
• How to work with curiosity without becoming overwhelmed
• Why the fear of “peaking” often appears at moments of growth
• Practical ways to keep moving forward in your creative practiceEach dilemma is unpacked gently, with both emotional insight and clear, practical homework you can try in your own practice.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Jenny, Becky and Liza – each exploring identity, overwhelm and how we move forward with courage in our creative lives.
Jenny did an art degree but hasn’t made work for years. When someone close to her questioned whether she should still call herself creative, it struck a nerve. Can you claim a creative identity if you’re not actively producing work? What actually defines a creative life?
Becky is starting again after years of not prioritising her practice. She’s full of ideas and ambition, but paralysed by wanting to do everything at once. How do you begin when the possibilities feel endless and overwhelming?
Liza is navigating open calls and submissions. How do you put yourself forward without tying your self-worth to the outcome? And what’s really happening behind the scenes on judging panels?
In this episode, I explore:
• Creativity beyond visible output
• How to choose one idea and build momentum
• The emotional reality of rejection
• Practical ways to move forward with clarity and confidenceEach dilemma is unpacked gently, with both emotional insight and clear, practical homework you can try in your own practice.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at
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In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Mary Ann, Liza and Melissa - each touching on confidence, stability and how we navigate uncertainty in our creative lives.
Mary Ann is struggling to stay creative when the wider world feels chaotic and overwhelming. How do you protect your practice when the news cycle, instability and external noise start to seep into your studio?
Liza is considering holding a sale of past work that no longer feels like her. Does selling past work diminish the value or direction of the new work she's making?
Melissa is preparing for an exhibition and feeling out of her depth. Should her work be tightly themed? Does everything need to match? How do you curate your work without losing your voice?
In this episode, I explore:
• How to create stability when the world feels unsteady
• The emotional layer behind selling or clearing past work
• The difference between curation and self-doubt
• Practical steps to move forward without spirallingEach dilemma is unpacked gently, with both emotional insight and clear, practical homework you can try in your own practice.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, email me
You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch the full episode on YouTube via Sam Marshall Art.
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In this first episode of The Creative Couch, I’m answering three creative dilemmas from artists at different stages of their journey.
We explore:
• The gap between expectation and reality, and the overwhelm that can follow
• Returning to art after a break and managing a busy, “popcorn brain”
• Finding your artistic voice and making work that genuinely feels like yoursThis podcast is a space for honest conversations about creativity, confidence and building a sustainable creative practice.
If you’d like to send in your own creative dilemma, you can email me at [email protected]
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Welcome to Creative Couch.
New episodes are released weekly.
(In this trailer I accidentally say daily — this is a weekly podcast.)I’m Sam Marshall — artist, printmaker, creative coach and author based in rural Northamptonshire. In this podcast, I answer real creative dilemmas and explore how to build a braver, more sustainable artistic practice.
Each episode explores confidence, creative block, finding your visual language, burnout, comparison, and building a sustainable creative life.
If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, you can send it in to:
Start with Episode 1 and let’s begin.
