After a long silence, Staling returns with a deeply personal reflection on what happens when your heart is in the art of creation and you are pulled into the orbit of marketing and selling...and how to find your way back to the magic of making.

"In this episode I share how turning my work into a product drained the joy from my practice. Even all my own knowing didn't keep me from this trap and it has taken a long while to reclaim my creative self and find my way back to art. We will also touch on the overjustificiation effect, Self Determination Theory and hear an invitation for a simple practice to facilitate return to process." - Amy Markham

In this episode I share a little about my own process and what I have been up to since the last episode, almost a year ago. Hint, I have been focused on my work as an artist and preparing a path for my art to be shared. I invited my friend and marketing expert, Michelle Mercurio, on to discuss why generic marketing does not work for artists, or anyone really. We also talk about how I am working to reconcile my own issues with selling, sharing and overall offering my artwork to the marketplace.

I also announced that my new art shop is open at www.amymakesart.com and how I am hoping to find peace in the process of releasing these current works into the world.

Is society's relationship to individuals reflected in the way art is received in society? Is the group more important than the individual. This one dives into how the individual artistic process could help us all restore a sense of balance to the groups we function in.

In this episode we look at the powerful book The Gift by Lewis Hyde. I share a personal experience of gift economy at work that happened in New Orleans, a city that has offered me many lessons over the years.

I know it has been a while so I also share a bit about my thoughts on the podcast and my approach to content creation. Please check out this link for show notes with all the stuff I discuss in this episode, and more....

If you wish to connect with me you can find me on instagram @thestarlingcreative or just email me @starlingartstudios@gmail.com

Not that I have managed to actually hide that I believe art is a magical practice and spiritual tradition but in this episode I am more honest about that and share a bit about moving into alignment with the realm of Imagination. And how we are making so much more than a painting and stories when we are working from Imagination.

I also share that I am restarting my Creative Mediation Group in 2022 with an effort to cover more esoteric concepts with artistic exploration. To learn more email me (starlingartstudios@gmail.com), follow me @thestarlingcreative or visit starlingartstudios.com

It's been a while. After a 6th month hiatus, I return with an episode on artist and director Tim Burton. Learn about the life ofTim Burton, his work and consider how making a connection with a living artist gives us touchstones in our own life process. I share my own relationship to his work and give some takeaways for you to consider in your own creative practice. For all the links and more info follow THE SHOWNOTES LINK.

Many people feel like the arts and the sciences are completely different fields that don't have much in common. But, that is just a lie we have been told. The Prussian scientist Alexander Von Humboldt understood how interconnected everything really is and in this episode we look at his influence on American art and so much more.

I feel like I was missed out on not learning about Humboldt earlier and hope you enjoy learning a bit this amazing naturalist, explorer, inventor, inspiritor and scientist. Follow THIS LINK for content discussed in the episode and a recap of practices discussed.

Do you believe that there are mysterious forces and energies behind the creative process? In this episode we explore muses, angels and duende discussed by Federico Garcia-Lorca in his famous essay The Theory & Play of The Duende. Where do we connect with inspiration and what is the energy that moves us into artistic action. Whether you actually sense these personified energies or simply like the ideas and stories, considering how "they" influence human creation is an interesting exploration.

Learn more and find resources around this topic at THIS LINK. There you will find a recap of the practices mentioned, tons of content to explore and the playlist around the theme of Duende. You can find me on instagram @thestarlingcreative or see more about connecting with me at my website, Starling Art Studios.