164 Sandra Duran Wilson — Play and Surrender

Join our next BoldBrush LIVE! Webinar by signing up here:register.boldbrush.com/live-guestLearn the magic of marketing  with us here at BoldBrush!boldbrushshow.comGet over 50% off your first year on your artist website with FASO:FASO.com/podcast---On today's episode we sat down with Sandra Duran Wilson, an abstract painter, sculptor, author, and scientist based in Santa Fe. Sandra discusses how her dual upbringing among scientists and artists, plus early plein air experiences with her great aunt, shaped her experimental, curiosity-driven approach to art. She explains that creating is “like breathing” and that her artistic voice emerged over thousands of paintings, influenced by her background in cognitive science and early fascination with cellular structures seen through a microscope. She also discusses how intention, story, and lived experience transform craft into art, emphasizing that story can be conveyed through color, texture, layers, and emotion rather than literal representation. Sandra describes her book Awakening Your Creative Soul and related “soul spark” exercises as a manual for weekly play and experimentation, rooted partly in her years working with people in addiction and trauma recovery. Sandra also gives us tips about quieting the inner critic, using strategies like “muting” it, keeping a playful side canvas, working quickly with timers, and embracing imperfection and surrender—especially for perfectionist oriented artists. Sandra also shares how she built a career as a full-time artist through outdoor shows, teaching, writing, and relationships with collectors. Finally, Sandra highlights her upcoming Ireland workshop and a long-term installation project wrapping burned trees in painted canvases to respond to climate-change-driven wildfires.Sandra's FASO site:sandraduranwilson.comSandra's Social Media:instagram.com/sandraduranwilson/facebook.com/sandraduranwilsonartistSandra's YouTube Channel:youtube.com/sandraduranwilson