Welcome to Episode 12, the final episode of Season 5 of Art Is... the podcast for artists. In this installment, Isotta and Lauryn revisit the podcast's inaugural theme: success. Listeners are invited to explore the intricate facets of defining success in the arts and creative industries, emphasizing the importance of emotional and mental well-being.

The hosts delve into Lauryn's insight that "the only constant is change." Taking inspiration from Daisy Morris, founder of The Selfhood, the episode examines the concept of seasonality in productivity, drawing inspiration from the natural ebbs and flows of the calendar year and paralleling them to the cycles in artistic work. The conversation emphasizes that not every season in an artist's journey should look and feel the same.

The discussion interrogates how perception and emotion can influence decision-making and Lauryn invites you to draft up a personal vision and mission statements as a north star to help keep you in alignment.

The hosts then return to certain key high mileage questions from Lauryn's coaching practice, and encourage the audience to face the discomfort and reflect on their vision and perhaps even do the exercise of thinking out ten years in the future to then ask yourself what would you be excited to tell your friends and family about that's happening in your work and life? Ask yourself what truly lights you up?

Fear is addressed head-on in this episode, highlighting the importance of embracing discomfort. The episode explores the significance of resilience and the crucial task of identifying friction—what's not working? Listeners are prompted to consider another high-mileage question: If failure were not an option, and this were just an experiment, how would they show up?

The hosts guide listeners through the process of reflecting on wins, evaluating setbacks, and pondering how to achieve different results next time. The audience is encouraged to ask themselves: Are their actions aligning with their goals? What changes can they make to bring their vision to life? The episode also explores how vision and missions intertwine with the art of manifestation.

The importance of trusting instincts as a one-person team running an art business is emphasized, wearing all the necessary hats. Being in alignment becomes a central theme as the episode evaluates the process of doing one's work.

Lauryn candidly reflects on her experiences with consultation calls for her coaching business, providing insights into workshopping sales calls and adopting experimental approaches for improvement. The episode delves into the mindset of critique as a tool for upleveling one's craft.

Isotta also shares her journey of setting up a newsletter and reflects on newsletters as a powerful means of sharing one's work, owning an audience, and consistently showing up.

As the hosts conclude the season, Isotta and Lauryn pause to express gratitude. Listeners are welcomed to join in celebrating the diverse and enriching experiences of Season 5 and to anticipate what the future holds. In conclusion the Art Is… community is warmly thanked for being an integral part of this journey.

Topics covered:

Returning to our first topic of season 5: defining success
Recognising the importance of emotional and mental wellbeing - Lauryn’s quote “the only constant is change”
Seasonality in productivity - taking inspiration from natural cycles, not every season should look and feel the same
Returning to key high mileage questions outlined by Lauryn in her coaching practice and writing down your answers: if you think out ten years from now, what would you be so excited to tell your friends and family about that's happening in your life? What lights you up?
How perception and emotion play into decision making
Evolving personal vision/mission statements
Pushing through fear, being ok with doing and feeling uncomfortable things
Returning to the importance of resilience and noticing friction, what's not working?
Another high mileage question to ask yourself: If failure was not an option or didn't exist and this was just an experiment how would I show up?
Reflect and celebrate what went well and evaluate what didn't go so well and what could you do next time to achieve a different result?
Asking yourself directly are these things/actions/thoughts etc getting me to where I wanna go and what can i change to create what i want to create?
How vision and missions connect to manifestation
Trusting your instincts in your work, being a team of one and wearing all the different hats needed to run your art business
Being in alignment, the evaluation process of doing your work
Lauryn's candid reflection on her experience with consultation calls for her coaching business, how she is workshopping her sales call and using this experimental approach to improve
Mindset of critique, so you can uplevel
Isotta’s experience setting up newsletter and reflection on newsletters as way of sharing your work, owning your audience and showing up
Season round up and gratitude sharing

Aligning for Success: A Mindset Shift in Your Art Practice