artchatter with Gaynor Leverett-Jaques & Karen George

Well, holy heck… our cheeky little podcast, artchatter, hasbeen nominated for a Women’s Business Club Award https://womensbusiness.club/awards

WHAT? We are so very grateful to the listener(s) who nominated us. Unfortunately we can’t attend the awards ceremony in person on 3rd December, but we’ll be live online…holding our breath, obviously! This is a big deal for us. We’re not famous, we don’t have a gazillion followers, but we are more delighted than Jennifer Lawrence on Oscar night.

Although the winner isn’t decided by the number of votes, wewoul...

It’s that time again! Prepping for the selling season, getting everything planned, staying up late to ensure our organisation is tip top. Packing boxes, unpacking boxes, hanging work, wrapping work. Is your payment machine up to date and charged? ;) 

That’s all well and good, but let’s calm down for a second and remember why we’re doing this, and where we need to be. Let’s get a plan (of sorts) so a post event collapse isn’t on the cards. A gentle reminder to focus on what’s important and how we get ther...

Humans and artists alike face many disappointments. Things don’t go as we’d hoped. Rejection. Lack of sales. Paintings not behaving. However, it’s not the event that defines us, it’s how we deal with it. 

Yeah, sounds great, right? Sounds easy too. But hoooooow? Wellllll we could journal (@karengeorgeart pales at this idea) or talk it through (now she’s slightly green) or we could face it, relegate it to where it belongs and move on to the next thing (@gaynorljart frowns as we could always analyse a tad more…). Or maybe we coul...

It’s all been done before. There’s nothing new. We just can’t find anything original to present to the world. Everyone else has got a great offering. Everyone else has got it sussed. They’re doing all the things. Are we just copying? Are we offering the same old, same old? 

So why do it at all? 

Hang on though, let’s consider this, maybe doing it our way IS the original part. 

We’ve seen a million reels on Instagram, a gazillionty mil...

Righty-ho, we’ve reviewed allllll the things we’ve been doing. What do we work on now? What are we carrying forward and what are we gently expelling from our lives? 

Let’s get specific, grab some details and prioritise how we move forward. Break steps down rather than plunging in to the deep end and make sure we’re aligned with big ideas we’re swimming towards. Do you have small and large rewards for each stage? 

Now let’s get some cheerleaders in place. Who’s in your team? How w...

We often overlook appreciating how far we have developed, but in order to consider what we want to take forward it’s a good idea to think about how much we have achieved, what we want to progress and what to let go. Which habits just aren’t cutting it any more.

What did you commit to, but didn’t do-is that because it was someone else’s idea and just doesn’t fit you? Who distracted you? Why did you let them?!

What’s been great? What worked?

Summer is lovely; blissful long days and warm evenings, holidays, playing on the beach, in the park, visiting places and visitors making memories. But what about our art? How can we integrate the absolute need to create with fully living, engaging and making the most of the welcome distractions we face daily?

What can we do that provides a creative fix while still meeting the needs of the people around us (who we’re obviously very glad to see!).

As artists, Karen and Gaynor have some solutions, ideas and as...

Artists. 

Let’s free up our brains and shake off the constraints of painting or producing work for a reason. Developing our work, our skills and our practices comes in so many forms. @gaynorljart is finding freedom in actually using a sketchbook after years of envy and frustration-and @karengeorgeart is sharing her love of outdoor sketching with others, which is fun and freeing too. 

Same, Same But Different. We make the rules. We get to do what works for us. 

Over to you! We invite you to tell...

Recently several instagram posts sparked a conversation between @karengeorgeart and @gaynorljart - all around the reasons why people buy art. @emuplops @carriescottcurates @iamfrancebrunel and @lorimirabelli fired our chat (specific posts linked below) and gave us pause for thought. We asked listeners if they’d like a chat around the subject and received an overwhelming yes. 

How do we want to live? Why do certain artists or paintings jump out at us? Why do we covet a certain art style? Is it because we don’t create in a certain way, or we love the story...

Episode 104

Are we who we show up as on social media? What does authentic really mean… what do we care about what people think of us? Does it matter?

As we’ve grown older and into ourselves, we find it easier to accept who we are and why we do what we do. Maybe it’s partly because we know what doesn’t work and we don’t want to just fit in any more.

Authenticity may be an overused word in social media AND art, but it could be time to consider what it me...

What is the simple definition of marketing?

“Marketing, in its simplest form, is about letting people know about a product or service that might meet their needs or wants. It's the process of communicating the value of a product or service to potential customers and persuading them to buy.”

Do we have answers? Not necessarily, but we do have thoughts and we’re trying to make sense of it all too. 

Thank you, too, to all who listen, DM, send messages and have made the last nearly four ye...

Chatting with other artists can teach us so much. Not just about them and the way they work, but also how we are, how we work, the way we speak to ourselves and manage expectations and pressure.

Listening to ourselves-our needs-has a direct impact on the way we create, appreciating what we do and that we CAN is important too.

Thank you, too, to all who listen, DM, send messages and have made the last nearly four years so much fun with #artchatterpodcast

Sign...

Way back when in 2024 we took a trip to Cheltenham to check out galleries for a joint exhibition… the planning began. 

‘Journey’ came from an idea of Karen’s to show how we work, from sketching in the wild (Karen) to splashing paint and navel gazing (Gaynor) to fully fledged and framed paintings. 

It’s been fascinating to see the differences in how we create, but it’s also fun to exhibit together. This week we share the successes and mishaps along the route from booking the gallery to hanging the wo...

Gahhhhh it’s the 100th episode of artchatter. Who knew?

So here we are doing something a little different in celebration. Three-ish years, two artists and one question for four (technically five, but for aesthetics) people who inspire us…

What’s the question? Simple.

Did you have a pivotal moment in your career?

A significant moment where something clicked, you grabbed an opportunity or had a realisation that you were on to something. Conversely, when you finally decided things had to...

The idea that "we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with" is a commonly attributed quote, often associated with motivational speaker Jim Rohn, highlighting the significant influence our social circle has on our lives.

This begs the question… who do we turn to when we feel stuck? what makes the difference between a good day and a bad day when we’re constantly facing challenges or our work is frustrating us? Oftentimes, it’s attitude, but sometimes the people we turn to can lift us, inspire us or, unfort...

We talk about pushing ourselves and stepping out of comfort zones, but how does that look, in reality? 

How do we know it’s a success and use what we learn from each new experience? 

No matter what we try, it’s a win. We get to learn or we get to grow, right? Episode 98 brings the joy of exhibiting somewhere new, and the win of realising it’s all a bit much! 

Sign up to receive Karen’s Studio News  https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/ and Gaynor’s emails https://gaynorlja...

The sun is shining-we are energised! Woo hoo… let’s get sorted, find our sketchbooks and get painting. We are emerging from hibernation and ready to have inspiration land on us. Now the season is turning we’re topping up the vitamin D, getting with the season and flourishing. You ready? Come join us, let’s do this! 

Sign up to receive Karen’s Studio News  https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/ and Gaynor’s emails https://gaynorljart.com/pages/contact

Links and mentions:

Photo by  on Unsplash  ...

The beginning of 2025 feels like three years ago. We wrote plans, set intentions, made lists and away we all went. Now it’s edging toward spring and we’re plodding on and wondering why we’re doing what we’re doing. Erm, what’s the point again? 

Now’s the time to have a little reset, reread the plans and decide if we were having a mad moment or we need to tweak and realign. Need some inspiration to get your mojo back? We’ve got you. 

Sign up to receive Karen...

It’s such an icky word to many artists - selling. Why? We need to get over ourselves and let people who like our work, admire our ethos or want to start collecting see it, know it’s for sale and actually have the opportunity to buy it! But how, you ask? 

Karen has seen some inspiring stuff lately, and Gaynor has opinions. So here are some ideas to start off your thoughts process. 

Sign up to receive Karen’s Studio News  https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/ and Gaynor’s emails aka The Rippl...

It’s easy to play it safe, to always rely on routine, but what if we feel the niggle to change things up? When we start to feel stale in life, in work, in paintings… how do we step outside of our comfort zone without traumatising ourselves? 

As always you’re invited to join the conversation on social media @artchatterpodcast or comment on the podcast wherever you listen. 

Sign up to receive Karen’s Studio News  https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/ and Gaynor’s emails https://gaynorljart.com/pages/contact

Li...

We’re starting 2025 gently. Instead of signing up for all the workshops, courses and reinventing ourselves, (which, lets face it, are all incredibly tempting) we’re merely choosing a word to guide us, provide a reminder of what we want and pull us back to our chosen path when we get sidetracked. 

What did we choose? It’s not a surprise that they’re very different, but maybe our intentions are similar. 

Have you selected a word of the year? Tell us what it is, and why. As always you’re inv...

How many things do you do out of habit? What are you missing out on because you always do something that doesn’t serve you? Who do you want to see more of… let’s make good habits together, build resilience, build great self-care and become creatures of fabulous habits, not victims of our dodgy ones.

So, tell us what you think! As always you’re invited to join the conversation on social media @artchatterpodcast or comment on the podcast wherever you listen.

Sign up to receive Karen’s Studio New...

Sometimes it can be easy to jump into things with FOMO driving us, sometimes we see others doing ALL the things on social media and love it all and want to be just like them. The trouble is, it’s not our thing. Do we plough on regardless, or do we reflect, learn what’s right for us and learn to trust our own judgment?

Gut reaction, the click moment, the internal nod are all signs we’re on the right path for us and don’t need to follow the herd. Experience and confiden...

Habits, tried and tested, keep us safe. We’re in our comfort zone and we know what to expect. Karen and Gaynor are noticing patterns - and questioning why they’re doing what they’re doing! 

Are you in a rut of habits, too? Let’s reevaluate together! 

Both Karen and Gaynor send out regular emails to subscribers - do sign up if you would like to receive them. 

Links and mentions:

Photo by Maxime Doré on Unsplash

@societycafe

Cam Valley...

@karengeorgeart and I spend a lovely amount of time with other artists, so get to learn tons of great stuff from them. One amazing thing that we’ve realised lately is that those who do well consistently, are those who do things with intention. 

Actions have consequences and all that…so let’s make our actions count. 

Whatever and whenever we do things towards our art businesses, let’s do it with purpose, knowing why we’re doing it… let’s go forward with intention. 

Links and menti...

Are you like us having regular accountability calls, creating a to-do list and rushing to get it all done? 

Well, hold on a second…here’s a thought; are you caught up in a cycle of doing but not achieving? Are your accountability calls lovely chatty catch-ups with lots of encouragement but no action. 

Is it time to reevaluate, ask some difficult questions and see if what you’re actually doing counts towards your goals and dreams? 

It’s certainly time for @karengeorgeart and I to give ourselves a...

Art exhibitions and trails are always worth a visit, there’s so much talent around, so many choices to be made. The difficulty arises when there’s so many exhibitions to see and schedule clashes for local art trails (it’s the season). 

So, how can an artist add a little something to engage visitors, explain their work and encourage interaction.

Gaynor and Karen have differing approaches (as always!) but experience has taught them both what can work for them and ideas to share.   

Links and mentions:

Photo Credit: Highlight ID on Unsp...

Okay… you’ve done thing. Now to promote it. We have to let people know, right?  Instagram: do a reel, a still, a carousel, onto Pinterest, email, Facebook, a quick Instagram live, and then onto stories. Oh and maybe YouTube. Phew. All done. Don’t make me tell people again… but algorithms. What if no one sees any of it? Hmmmm… Did the email go to ‘junk’?  So, we all get onto social media again and post the thing. Again. Then again. Maybe once more. Cringe. Do we post again? Cringe. Maybe another email. *breaks out in hives*  What if people get sick of...

Apologies! We’ll be back tomorrow with episode 86.

Sometimes things happen and we’re a little delayed, but tomorrow we talk about the cringe factor.

See you there, K & G xx

Okay. Phew. We did summer…and survived. Kids, families, holidays, down time… and now we have to find our footing again. Let’s get into some sort of routine, get our practice back, post on the socials, gather our harvest and display it to the world. Well, maybe just book in some rl events and get selling. 

We’ve got this. Planners ready… Let’s go! 

As a bonus, our wonderful editor (Ben Leverett-Jaques) collaborated with the rather amazing textile artist Sarah Joy Ford to provide a unique soundscape to accompany S...

Who decides what’s good and what’s not worth looking at - who are the gatekeepers? Why does some work sell for tens of thousands, and others hold no value to the curators, historians and galleries? 

Why do artists of one genre openly dismiss another? 

What triggers you? 

This week Gaynor and Karen were triggered by opinions stated as facts. Do join the conversation as we’d love to know what you think - also what triggers you?! 

This week’...

Does summer throw you a curveball, does it disrupt your art when other family members are around? How easy do you find it to block off time for your work during holidays, when trips abound, the sun shines or friends offer coffee dates? 

This week Karen and Gaynor find ways to protect their creative time, although suggestions are always welcome. 

Links and mentions:

Photo by Gonard Fluit on Unsplash

@ginabelfordart

@johounsomephotography

Jacqueline Ford 

About the podcas...

Artists need to be on Instagram daily, apparently. Oh and Facebook. Maybe chuck in some threads, Substack and X for good measure. We HAVE to be seen. Anyone else exhausted? 

Who is making the rules? What if we just go with the flow, find our own rhythm and natural online home? 

This week Karen and Gaynor tease out what is working for them and how to accommodate the pressures of social media expectations. Shout out to our friend, Harry Martel for the inspiration.

Links and men...

Declutterring our studios highlighted all sorts of things we’d been holding onto, physically and metaphorically! Both realised old practices, old beliefs, old habits needed to be shown the door too. Time for a rethink!

We’d once again like to thank the adorable @annafmacdonaldart for her help, guidance and sense of humour! 

Links and mentions:

Photo by The Jopwell Collection on Unsplash

Anna F MacDonald

About the podcast

Gaynor Leverett-Jaques and Karen George are both ful...

Is brave being ‘gung-ho’ or stepping back and trusting intuition?  Let’s give ourselves some credit. We all do something most people aren’t courageous enough to… we open up our souls to be judged. Too dramatic? What about risking criticism, earning a living in a challenging climate, facing our own self-doubt… or just showing up on social media on the daily? If you enjoy the podcast, please do give us a follow and share with everyone you know ;) This week’s links and mentions:  Anna F MacDonald 27th July workshop Amy McNee @inspiredtowrite @unpublishedpodcast Elizabeth Gilbert Big Magic Kellee Wynne The Big Shi...

As we dance merrily into our studios and sing happily opening our sketchbooks, loading our easels or mixing paint, there’s something joyous about studio time *sighs happily à la Snow White*.

Except if you haven’t tidied. If you have your rubbish scattered on the floor, dirty brushes and erm where’s the cad red I love so much?! Can we ever really create in a space that isn’t clear enough for us to think? Ugh.

Karen and Gaynor are taking stock and doing the thing we don’t want to do, but feel so much bet...

We natter about self-worth, valuing ourselves, valuing our work, pricing and mindfulness… all as a result of attending an event with Alice Sheridan we’re both considering alllll the things - and invite you to do the same. 

This week’s links and mentions: 

Photo by Gustavo Torres on Unsplash

Alan Partridge 

Soul Made - 

Alice Sheridan 

Kellee Wynne 

BS9 arts trail https://www.bs9arts.co.uk

Beyond Boundaries 

Footprint Gallery https://www.footprintgallery.co.uk

Ironb...

How to show? Hang it all, go solo or team up with beautiful collaborators? Whatever you do, do it with generosity of spirit and a smile on your face! This week’s links and mentions: Image by Photo by Brigitta Schneiter on Unsplash Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Luke Holcombe https://www.lukeholcombestudio.com Ruth Thorpe https://www.ruththorpstudio.com Beyond Boundaries exhibition at the Footprint Gallery - 21st May to 2nd June https://www.footprintgallery.co.uk About t...

What are we all trying to achieve? We have so many to-do lists, time pressures, work pressures, life pressures… and so many of us are spinning.  Can we take time to breathe? Focus, prioritise and just let ourselves be for a few minutes..? This week’s links and mentions:  Photo by Rowan Freeman on Unsplash Kellee Wynne Studios https://www.kelleewynnestudios.com Stu McLaren Cam Valley Arts Trail About the podcast Gaynor Leverett-Jaques and Karen George are both full time artists, living and working in South West of the UK, sharing experiences and the ups and downs of living the painting...

How do we all handle failure? How many rejections can we deal with - do they make you stronger or knock your confidence? Do we learn or feel dejected? There’s always something to learn and we grow-so let’s do it together! 

Luckily (well, maybe not!) Karen and Gaynor have experienced it all… so here we go, let’s all hold hands and fail spectacularly together! 

This week’s links and mentions: 

Image by 青 晨 on Unsplash

@ginabelfordart https://www.ginabelfordart.co.uk

https://www.starvinga...