Today, we have a very enthusiastic chat about February’s Snart theme! This month, we’re going to talk about all things clay! I’ve got ceramic artists to share for inspiration, books to check out about the history of clay in the world, ideas for the types of clay to use for your projects, activities to do outside the home that celebrates ceramics and list of project ideas that range from fine art to artisan crafts. It’s a good time. Also, I’m pretty sure I mispronounced Ashmolean, so please just giggle to yourself and don’t mention it in the comments, ok thx.

LINKS

Artists Mentioned:

* Adam Ceramic: https://www.adamceramic.com/ & https://www.instagram.com/adamceramic/

* That High Five Life: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thathighfivelife & https://www.instagram.com/thathighfivelife/

* Ave Rivera: https://www.averiverastudio.com/ & https://www.instagram.com/averiverastudio/

* The Coy Collection: https://www.thecoycollection.com/ & https://www.instagram.com/thecoycollection/

* Edmund de Waal: https://www.edmunddewaal.com/

* Shio Kusaka: https://www.instagram.com/kusakashio/

* Calder Foundation: The mobile’s I talked about! https://calder.org/archive/all/works/hanging-mobile/

Find me all over the place!

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeckyhelms/

* Substack: https://substack.com/@beckyhelms

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeckyHelms

* Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/beckyhelms.bsky.social

Today’s artist friend is my cousin Sydney! She’s our first artist who mainly does music, as a singer, vocal coach and all around virtuoso. We chat about what it’s like for new moms to attempt to nurture their creativity, the importance of starting where you are and what it’s like to build a tiny home on a school bus! It’s such a fun conversation and I’m excited that I can introduce you to my family.

LINKS

Find Sydney on Patreon:

* https://www.patreon.com/ColeandSydney

Find me all over the place!

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeckyhelms/

* Substack: https://substack.com/@beckyhelms

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeckyHelms

* Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/beckyhelms.bsky.social

Last year, I came up with the idea of Snart (Snack + Art) as an afterschool activity to do with my elementary aged kid. I had grand plans that very much needed to honed and I think I’ve got a solid plan for the year. This episode is all about the original concept, re-evaluating when I bit off more than I could chew, and what the project is looking like this year.

I’m hoping to write more about it on Substack as the year goes on and it would be fun if some folks joined in! I’d love to see what you make!

LINKS

List of collage artists mentioned in the episode: https://www.contemporaryartissue.com/top-25-collage-artists-in-the-world-a-complete-survey/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeckyhelms/

* Substack: https://substack.com/@beckyhelms

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeckyHelms

Today’s Artist Friend is Laura Fisk of Fisk & Fern. We met in Austin on the show scene and I can’t say enough about her work! It’s fun, free and will make you giggle as you notice all the silly details. She has such a great sense of humor and it was a treat to hear her talk about her transition from owning a product-based shop to focusing mainly on children’s book illustration. There’s also a healthy amount of Muppet talk and if you want to see me flip out over the ability to watch all of The Repair Shop on YouTube, check out the podcast there, too. I was seriously SO EXCITED!

Laura is a delight and I hope you love the episode! Come say on IG or in the comments on Substack.

LINKS

Find Laura:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurafiskstudio/

* Website: https://www.illustrationfisk.com/

* Shop: https://fiskandfern.bigcartel.com/

Find me:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeckyhelms/

* Substack: https://substack.com/@beckyhelms

* YouTube:

My artist friend this week is Danny Brito! Known for his brightly colored, cheerful illustrations, Danny chats with me about running a Patreon with physical rewards, feelings about tabling at events as an introvert and his evolution from handmade art to manufactured products. This episode has it all!

PS: I misspoke in the outro! Visit Danny’s shop on Etsy!

Links:

Get to know Danny:

* Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dannybrito

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannybrito/

* Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/dannybrito/home

Get to know me:

* Substack: https://beckyhelms.substack.com

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeckyhelms/

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beckyhelms

Today’s episode is all about planning for the new year. I go into how I would plan my year as a product-based business and break down the whole calendar in a way that lead to consistent sales throughout the year. Make plans, stay flexible and get clear on your day-to-day!

I try to do the same thing for my personal and creative life and you can join me as I try to make that work, lol!

If you want access to my calendar, a template you can use, and a more in depth lesson in planning (see the calendar in action!), you can sign up to be a founding member on Substack. There’s WAY more content in my course about enamel pins, running a product-based business AND marketing on social media.

LINKS:

Sarah Murphey: https://www.instagram.com/1sarahmurphy/

This is my first official solo episode and I’m chatting about what worked, what didn’t work and what I’d like to add to my creative practice in the coming year.

In an attempt to give myself a little space during the busy holiday, this is a short solo episode. I’m taking a note from Carla in episode 2 and evaluating my creative endeavors this year. It was so nice to look back on my hobbies and various projects and really consider how they served me over the course of 2024.

As promised, here are some photos and resources mentioned in the episode:

Here’s the charm pack quilt tutorial that Carla suggested I follow: (TW: the creator of this playlist has since passed away, in case you’re sensitive to that right now.)

My first two bitty quilts:

The “quilted ornament” tutorial:

And what I made, plus one of my sequin beauties:

Lastly, here’s a link to the book The Artist’s Way. Full disclosure, I haven’t finished it and it does mention God quite a bit. I like to replace that terminology with “the universe”, but take what works for you and leave the rest!

If you want to watch this video on YouTube:

My artist friend, Tash, of Hatchling Makes chats with me about the evolution of her business from embroidery to enamels pins, plus how she got into supporting animal conservation with her unique wildlife illustrations.

Links

Find Tash:

* https://hatchlingmakes.com/

* https://www.instagram.com/hatchlingmakes

Other fun stuff:

* https://www.rainforesttrust.org/uk/ways-to-give/