Podcast
The Create! Podcast
Hosted by Ekaterina Popova · EN
The Create! Podcast (formerly Art & Cocktails) is your space for inspiration, encouragement, and practical insight at the intersection of contemporary art, creative business, and mindset.
Hosted by artist, coach, and Create! Magazine founder Ekaterina Popova, the show is designed to help you grow your art career, expand your creative vision, and build a sustainable, joyful life.
Through candid conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, writers, curators, and thought leaders—as well as empowering solo episodes—you'll find tools, ideas, and stories that remind you that life itself is your canvas, and you have the power to create a career and future that truly supports you.
Find us at www.createmagazine.co/podcast — where the conversation about art and business starts.
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Emi Avora: Mediterranean Light, Mythology, and the Art of Relocation
Feb 500:28:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Kat (Ekaterina Popova) is joined by painter Emi Avora, a London-trained and Singapore-based artist whose work blends architectural structure with lush, dreamlike abstraction. Drawing from her upbringing in Greece, Mediterranean light, mythology, and lived experiences across cultures, Emi creates immersive interiors that feel both opulent and quietly haunting. www.emiavora.com In this conversation, we discuss: Emi's journey: From growing up in her father's studio in Corfu to her formal art education. The influence of light: How Mediterranean light remains a primary tool for creating clarity in her work. Finding roots through relocation: How moving to Singapore drew her back to symbols and mythology in her subject matter. Building a sustainable practice: Insights on balancing motherhood with a dedicated studio life and trusting the slow unfolding of your work. Professional milestones: Her recent recognition as the winner of the Women in Art Prize and what that visibility has meant for her career. Connect with us: Website: https://www.createmagazine.co/ Instagram: @createmagazine Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com
Transcribe →Mastering the Subconscious: Intuitive Painting and Global Art Career with August Vilella
Jan 3000:19:03Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you stop obsessively planning and trying to control the outcome in the studio and start letting your subconscious lead the way? In this episode of the Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova chats with August Vilella, a self-taught artist whose intuitive approach has landed his work in Art Basel and major galleries across Asia and Europe. August reveals how he abandoned sketches and rigid concepts to find a "direct language" that transcends cultural and language barriers. We explore his "happy accident" move to Japan, his upcoming 10th-anniversary chronological exhibition, and why he believes the best career investment you can make is simply showing up in person. In This Episode, We Discuss: The Intuitive Method: Why August starts with a completely white canvas and no prior ideas or sketches to allow the subconscious and past experiences to take a leading role. The Self-Taught Advantage: How skipping art school allowed August to find his own unique style and "signature" before being influenced by a teacher's perspective. Building a Career from Zero: The story of how a two-week trip for a show in 2020 turned into a five-year Japanese residency after a flight was cancelled during the pandemic. Being Your Own "Bad Boss": The discipline required to be strict with gallery deadlines while maintaining a meditative, improvisational creative process. The "Lottery" of Opportunities: Why traveling to openings and art fairs is essential for letting collectors and directors see your energy and story, not just the final work. Milestone Exhibitions: A look at his massive 500-square-meter 10th-anniversary show in Shenzhen and upcoming solo exhibitions in Tokyo and Ginza. Key Quotes: "All my past experience have some deep impact in my painting... my subconscious mind have a very important role in the creative process." — August Vilella "The best way to make an interesting career is to travel, to meet people, to talk with people... they not only see your work, they also see your energy." — August Vilella Connect with the Guest: Instagram: www.instagram.com/august_vilella_art/ Website: augustvilella.com About the Host: Ekaterina Popova is an artist and the founder of Create! Magazine. Explore more articles and opportunities for artists at www.createmagazine.co.
Transcribe →Finding Your Collectors Without Galleries: Sharone Halevy on Commission Work, The Superfair, and Why Artists Need Hobbies
Jan 2300:33:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I reconnect with Sharone Halevy nearly a year after our collector talk at Superfine (now The Superfair) in San Francisco. Sharone is an abstract expressionist painter who's built her entire practice around commission work and selling directly to collectors without gallery representation. We discuss her transition from theater directing to painting, why she works on sliding scales to make art accessible, and how she uses sound and storytelling to create "tangible memories," paintings that capture how moments felt rather than every detail. Sharone shares her approach to building confidence, why friends and family are your first important collectors, and how she leveraged social media to create direct audience connection. As lead curator and operations manager at The Superfair, Sharone coaches every exhibiting artist on booth curation, pricing strategy, and selling techniques. We discuss the fair's rebrand and refocus on attracting the right buyers rather than massive crowds, and why in-person events matter for artists, especially those in rural areas. We wrap up with Sharone's challenge for the year: find a hobby. Not another income stream or content for social media, something tactile and creative you do purely for joy. CALL FOR ART: CREATE! MAGAZINE 2026 WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL EDITION Deadline: January 31st, 2026 Submit: https://www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art CONNECT WITH SHARONE: Instagram: www.instagram.com/art_by_sharone/ Website: https://www.artbysharone.com CONNECT WITH CREATE! MAGAZINE: Instagram: @createmagazine Collective: https://www.createmagazine.co/collective Website: https://www.createmagazine.co MENTIONED: The Superfair: thesuperfair.com 1000 Libraries coloring books
Transcribe →The Sustainable Studio: Reality Transurfing, Pendulums, and Avoiding Burnout
Jan 1900:24:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Kat addresses the familiar "January tension"—the conflict between feeling ambitious about new goals while simultaneously exhausted from the past year. She explores what "sustainability" actually means for artists, moving beyond the buzzword to examine what emotionally and financially supports a creative career. Kat shares insights from Vadim Zeland's book Reality Transurfing, discussing the concept of "pendulums"—energy structures built on collective beliefs (like the pressure to post daily on social media) that feed off our energy. She explains why feeding these pendulums is a losing game and how true magic happens when you prioritize joy and flow over algorithms. Finally, Kat breaks down the difference between the "glamour" of the art world (museum shows, viral posts) and the reality of what actually pays the bills, encouraging listeners to conduct a "Sustainable Studio Audit" to track income, time, and energy costs. Key Takeaways: The January Tension: Navigating the split between wanting to force your career forward and acknowledging deep exhaustion Understanding Pendulums: How collective beliefs (like "real artists suffer" or "you must hustle 24/7") become energy vampires that distract us from our true desires Reality Transurfing: Insights from Vadim Zeland's book on how energy flows naturally when you do what you truly want, rather than what you think you should do Glamour vs. Reality: Why the things that look successful (fancy gallery representation, viral reels) are often not the things that pay the bills (print sales, teaching, direct sales) Imposter Syndrome: Overcoming the feeling that you aren't "legitimate" if your business is scrappy or doesn't fit the traditional art world model The Sustainable Studio Audit: A practical exercise to list your income sources, estimate time invested, and rate energy cost (low, medium, high) to eliminate what drains you Resources Mentioned: Reality Transurfing by Vadim Zeland Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Grapevine. The secondary market already exists around your work—it's just happening without you. When art reappears on eBay or Craigslist, it loses context, and so do you. Grapevine is being built to change that, helping artists turn resale energy into momentum and value. Grapevine gives artists a simple page of their own where collectors can resell work peer-to-peer, with your approval, your context, and optional royalties if you choose. Learn more and reclaim your secondary market at grapevine.market. Connect with Create! Magazine: Website & Magazine: createmagazine.co Education & Resources: createu.co Newsletter: createmagazine.substack.com Instagram: @createmagazine
Transcribe →The Art History Babes!
Nov 1, 2018Tap to summarizeOn this episode, Kat interviews Corrie and Natalie (2/4 of The Art History Babes) about the inspiration behind the Art History Babes podcast, handling criticism, the challenges of starting your own projects, building a community instead of competition and more. "The Art History Babes are four lady pals with Masters’ degrees in Art History that love to drink wine and discuss visual culture. The show explores various aspects of art and art history from a largely interdisciplinary perspective. Our primary goal is to make art accessible, promote curiosity, and illuminate how relevant and fun the study of visual culture can be." http://www.arthistorybabes.com/
Transcribe →