In today's episode Dan and Martha talk about art and burnout and the question underneath it: have you lost your appetite for the thing that got you into this in the first place?

Sometimes it shows up as burnout. Sometimes as a lack of confidence, or falling out of the habit of making while still yearning for a more exciting relationship to your work. These are some of the blocks we spend a lot of time working through with people in our mentorship, because showing up for your practice is a form of self-respect, even when you need someone alongside you to find that rhythm again.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Our six-month mentorship → thehealthyartist.com
• Companion post, "Notes on Artist Burnout, Passion as Exploitation, and The Art of Calm Ambition" → Link to Substack post
• The article that inspired this episode, by Harriet Lloyd-Smith → link to article

This week, I’m joined by North East-based trans and disabled artist Kitt (aka Lady Kitty) to talk about how art can be genuinely useful. We chat about growing up unschooled, how mess and collaboration connect us, and bypassing traditional galleries to make interactive art you can actually lie down on. We also dive into Kitt's drag alter ego ‘Hot Art Dad’ and how to use the "Wanker Tipping Point" to push past polite paralysis and demand the baseline support and access you deserve.

Links & Mentions:

• Mentoring with Kitt: Find out more
• Supporting Kitt's transition
• Our Substack: Read our longer-form piece expanding on today's chat (Hot Art Dads, The Wanker Tipping Point, and Mess-Making as Social Glue) over at Substack
• The Healthy Artist: Our new offerings are kicking off in September! Head to thehealthyartist.com for all the details.

Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time x

Ever stood in front of a gallery text and felt your eyes glaze over? You're not alone, and it's not you.

This week, Dan's back, and we're unpacking "art speak" (aka International Art English): where it came from, why almost nobody enjoys writing it, who it ends up excluding, and what to do instead.

Want help finding your own way to write about your work?

Our six-month, one-to-one Healthy Artist mentorship gives you dedicated time to deepen your practice and build momentum in the studio. On session 5 you have a 1.5 hour 1:1 with Dan about articulating and writing about your work in a way that feels authentic to you. If this sounds good to you, you can check out all of our offerings over on thehealthyartist.com

To read our Substack reflection on this episode please do so here.

In this episode, we sit down with art critic and author Hettie Judah to discuss her brilliant new book, How to Enter the Art World. If you have ever felt completely frozen by the sheer volume of things you think you "should" be doing to build a creative career, this conversation is a massive breath of fresh air.

The Healthy Artist Website
How to Enter the Art World (Without Freezing) substack post.
Buy How To Enter The Art World from Hoxton Mini Press- They plant a tree every time someone buys the book from their site!

In this episode, we sit down with artist Khadija Ceclile Niang to explore how her practice bridges the gap between structured planning and pure intuition. Born in Norway to Senegalese parents, Khadija shares how discovering the rich connection between her family’s fishing heritage and the history of African surfing completely transformed her relationship with paint.

We also dive deep into a topic we are unpacking on Substack this week: Creative Variety. Khadijah discusses breaking free from the "monastic studio myth," learning to embrace multiple creative outlets like knitting, cooking, and DJing, and why having zero-pressure hobbies is actually the secret weapon to sustaining a deep artistic practice.

The Healthy Artist Substack Article
Khadija's substack
The Healthy Artist Website (with all offerings)

In this week's episode we dive deep into what it means to be successful and discuss how we can shift from a lack mentality when it comes to our creative paths. We discuss how to redefine ambition as a daily roadmap, rather than hyper-focusing on an imaginary 'sparkly castle' that we want to arrive at. "Man plans, and god laughs" is a quote we reflect on and how leaning into the everyday is the most healthy way of living.

Read our Substack recflection here: The View From the Mountain: Breaking Free from Creative Scarcity

Our Summer courses and mentorship

What happens to your creative practice when your body suddenly forces you to stop?

In this episode, Martha sits down with artist Sophie Smorzweski to discuss her "Kitchen Table" series and the profound impact of periods of illness on her work. Sophie opens up about navigating this at the age of 18, experiencing periods of isolation as "mini lockdowns," and how the kitchen table transformed from a symbol of confinement into a powerful site of healing and artistic recovery.

If you would like more content by The Healthy Artist, sign up to our newsletter through our website alongside joining our substack community.

If you are interested in joining our 6-month Mentorship programme, learn more here.

In this month's Wellness Journal, Martha Lamont and guest co-host Damaris Athene break the silence around two of the most isolating feelings in the studio: jealousy and comparison. Unpacking Julia Cameron’s famous quote on the topic, they discuss handling the reality of rejections, projection and the 'compare-and-despair' trap, alongside the huge disconnect between a successful Instagram grid and a difficult lived reality.

🌿 Grab your free copy of The Healthy Artist Studio Workbook

✨ Apply for our 1-to-1 Rolling Mentorship