What happens when you treat your creative space as a sacred shrine? This week, Martha sits down with mystic artist Critallina Fischetti to talk about her journey from Chelsea Art College to an old Victorian town hall in the Cotswolds.

We dive into how Cristallina uses ancient practices to ground herself before she even touches a canvas. We discuss her indigenous Colombian roots, viewing colour as a "code," and how a 2020 lockdown in Mexico led her to ditch traditional canvas for raw bedsheets, ropes, and homemade botanical dyes.

Cristallina also shares how she quietens the fearful voice of the ego in the studio, how her background in jazz dance helps her navigate the "creative headache," and the unexpected language she uses when speaking psychically to her paintings. If you're looking to bring more intuition and presence into your life and work, this episode is for you.

Follow Cristallina's journey on instagram or check out her website.

Read What Does It Mean to Leave Your Ego at the Studio Door? over on our substack- where you can find out how to support us too.

What is a studio for? Is it a physical room, or an active state of mind you carry with you?

In this episode, Henry and Martha talk about the history, rituals, and vulnerable realities of the modern creative workspace. They trace the pendulum from the collaborative factory workshops of the Renaissance to Courbet's bustling public square, straight to the myth of the lone genius in a Parisian garret.

But the real heart of the conversation is a very modern tension: how do you maintain the quiet, monastic privacy needed to figure out what you're making, while surviving the pressure of digital performance?

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Martha sits down with abstract painter and educator Henry Ward to discuss the raw reality of a lifetime studio practice. Henry shares insights from his 35-year journey, defining "refinement" as stripping away artistic baggage rather than chasing a slick, polished finish. Together, they explore the "Monday night genius, Tuesday morning crisis," the necessity of getting a painting into trouble, and why material compromise can actually be an artist's greatest catalyst for innovation. Henry also reflects on his parallel career in education, offering a refreshing and optimistic look at the daily compulsion to make art.

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