In this episode of the Help! I Am Artist podcast, I'm joined by Canadian artist Valerie Capewell for an honest conversation about creativity, courage, and building a sustainable life as an artist. Valerie shares her journey from running a successful graphic design business to becoming a full-time painter, and how trusting her process, even when it feels messy or uncertain, has shaped her unique artistic voice.

We talk about the creative roller coaster of making art, finding your audience, balancing business with personal expression, and why structure and consistency can actually support artistic freedom. Valerie also opens up about pricing, working with galleries, and the mindset shifts that helped her keep growing as an artist.

If you've ever wondered how to keep pushing your work forward while staying true to yourself, this episode is full of insight and encouragement.

Connect with Valerie Capewell:
Website: https://www.valeriecapewell.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeriecapewell

Want more focus in your creative practice? Download my free Focused Artist Planner here:
https://www.sonjasmalheer.com/planner

Discover how Dutch realist artist Rob de Vries built a sustainable art career through consistency, calm structure, and a grounded daily creative routine. In this inspiring conversation, Rob shares how his lifelong passion for drawing Elvis Presley, his photorealistic Memories of a Happy Childhood series, and his commitment to showing up every day shaped the thriving practice he has today.

Rob's story is a powerful reminder that you don't need to wait for inspiration to create meaningful work. Instead, momentum grows through simple routines, steady effort, and the willingness to keep going—especially on the days when creativity feels slow.

We talk about:
• Developing a disciplined daily art practice
• His process as a realist & photorealism painter
• Growing a loyal collector community around his Elvis art
• Balancing commercial work with fine art
• The role of teaching in strengthening your craft
• Managing doubt, motivation, and long-term creative focus
• Building a grounded, sustainable art career step by step

Explore Rob's artwork and follow his journey:
https://robdevries.com
https://elvis-art.com

If you're an artist craving more focus, structure, and clarity in your creative life, this episode offers practical encouragement and insight you can apply immediately.

Small shifts can create massive change. In this episode of the Help I Am Artist Podcast, we explore how clarity creates momentum and why tiny, consistent habits can completely transform your art practice. I'll share lessons from professional sports, stories of contemporary artists, and practical steps you can take to move from scattered goals to identity-driven habits that keep you creating with ease.

If you're ready to build clarity, confidence, and steady momentum in your art practice, join me inside The Focused Artist Lab—an 8-week guided journey designed to help artists like you thrive. Doors are closing soon, and seats are limited. Learn more and grab your spot here: www.sonjasmalheer.com/lab

Are you a visual artist who's brimming with ideas, but struggling to finish what you start? Do you feel scattered—busy, yet somehow not moving forward in your art practice? You're not alone.

In this episode of the Help I Am Artist Podcast, artist and coach Sonja Smalheer guides you through the powerful shift from scattered to focused. Discover why clarity is the secret ingredient for creative momentum, confident decision-making, and sustainable growth in your art practice.

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

• How to recognize when you're in the "scattered artist" phase
• Why distractions keep holding you back (and how to break free)
• The 10-ball analogy that will transform the way you invest your creative energy
• How focus touches every part of your practice—your art, mindset, message, and even your income

This isn't about limiting your creativity—it's about unlocking the clarity that fuels true freedom in your art life.

💡 Special Invitation for Artists
If you're ready to move past overwhelm and step into clarity, join the waitlist for the Focused Artist Lab, a guided experience where Sonja helps artists like you find focus, build confidence, and thrive with intention. Spots are limited to just 10 artists.

👉 Reserve your place today at: www.sonjasmalheer.com/lab

Your art deserves clarity. And you deserve the freedom to thrive

Bianca Lever exchanged the lowlands of The Netherlands for the rolling hills of Italy where she now lives and works as a full-time artist. In this episode, Bianca discusses her challenges transitioning from a hobby to a professional artist, her inspiration, and what she is doing to attract new audiences.

If you love making art and you're secretly wanting to embrace the life of an artist. Then listen up!

In this episode, I chat with UK artist Jane Beaumont. After a fulfilling career as a teacher and therapist, Jane finally took this step herself.

Find out how a love note from her husband encouraged her to take the first brave steps, how she started sketching every day, soaking up inspiration on social media, and intentionally steered herself towards life as a professional artist.

Mentioned in this episode:

Quote: David Whyte, "Will you have confidence in what you love?"

Artists: David Hockney & William Kentridge

Instagram: @janesbeaumont

Website: www.janebeaumont.art

Mish Maudsley aka Mishfit's art occupies the hinterland between street art and fine art painting. An active part of UK street art for over 15 years, she has since painted internationally from the streets of Melbourne to Europe's biggest street art festival, Upfest.

Her most recent foray into the world of London art fairs follows an incredible array of live painting venues over the years. From her studio in Brighton, she is now embracing a more refined approach, combining spray paint and oil paint, to create an energetic style that captures the raw process of creativity. Clashing traditional methods with a fresh contemporary urban art edge.

Inspired by the forces of nature, and a deep sense of wanderlust, Mishfit has developed a vibrant visual language of dreamlike luminous cloudscapes as a metaphor for human emotion. Sometimes interwoven with obscured figurative elements, she creates poignant, exuberant paintings which celebrate the commonalities that make us human.

Enjoy Part 2 of our conversation.

Mish Maudsley aka Mishfit's art occupies the hinterland between street art and fine art painting. An active part of UK street art for over 15 years, she has since painted internationally from the streets of Melbourne to Europe's biggest street art festival, Upfest.

Her most recent foray into the world of London art fairs follows an incredible array of live painting venues over the years. From her studio in Brighton, she is now embracing a more refined approach, combining spray paint and oil paint, to create an energetic style that captures the raw process of creativity. Clashing traditional methods with a fresh contemporary urban art edge.

Inspired by the forces of nature, and a deep sense of wanderlust, Mishfit has developed a vibrant visual language of dreamlike luminous cloudscapes as a metaphor for human emotion. Sometimes interwoven with obscured figurative elements, she creates poignant, exuberant paintings which celebrate the commonalities that make us human.

Enjoy Part 1 of our conversation.