Episode 13: A Creative Conversation with Laura Smith

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I’m joined by painter Laura Smith for the first in a new series of creative conversations with artists, friends and fellow creatives about their practice and creative lives.Although the podcast began with me responding to creative dilemmas sent in by listeners, it was always my intention to intersperse those episodes with longer, more open-ended conversations with other creatives, and I’m so happy to be starting that part of the podcast with Laura.Laura and I have known each other for years. We both studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and later at the Royal Drawing School, and in this conversation we settle in for a thoughtful, wide-ranging chat about painting, creativity, teaching and the realities of sustaining a creative life over time.We talk about studio life, living and working in London, balancing creative practice with other commitments, and our experiences of social media and Instagram as working artists. We also discuss painters we admire, including Giorgio Morandi, the importance of looking slowly, and the artists and exhibitions that have been inspiring us lately.Along the way, we share recommendations, reflections on teaching, thoughts on creative pressure, and some honest conversation about the quieter, less visible parts of maintaining an artistic practice.You can find Laura on Instagram at @Laurajrsmith.We’ll be returning to creative dilemmas next week, so if you’ve got a dilemma you’d like me to respond to, you can send it to [email protected].