Episode 18: Digital Art, Creative Time & Leaving Teaching

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Mimi, Louise and Cally – exploring digital art, creative time, financial security and the realities of building a creative life.Mimi is a retired nurse, educator and psychotherapist from the Pacific Northwest who returned to her first love of making art later in life. She creates digital artwork using Procreate and produces giclée prints, but has repeatedly been told by local exhibitions that they "don't do digital work". We talk about misconceptions around digital art in the age of AI, why some art spaces may still be catching up with newer mediums, and how artists can find their audience even when traditional institutions don't yet understand their work.Louise is a hand embroidery artist from South Africa who left teaching to pursue her creative practice full time. While she feels incredibly grateful to be making a living through commissions, she finds herself with little time left for her own ideas, series and creative exploration. We discuss the tension between earning from creativity and protecting it, why your own work deserves a place in the diary alongside paid work, and the importance of creating boundaries around creative time.Cally is a printmaker and secondary school teacher who has spent more than twenty-five years balancing teaching with her artistic practice. Now in her fifties and feeling burnt out, she wonders whether she should take a sabbatical, retire early or continue teaching for a little longer. We talk about grief for the creative life we imagined we'd have, financial fears rooted in childhood experiences, and why building a runway towards change can sometimes be kinder and wiser than taking a leap into the unknown.In this episode, I explore:• Why rejection isn't always about quality, but sometimes about category and understanding• How artists working in newer mediums can help audiences connect with their process• The challenge of protecting personal creativity when paid work fills every available hour• Why creating boundaries around creative time can be just as important as earning from it• The grief many creatives feel for the artistic life they imagined they might have had• How financial fears rooted in childhood experiences can shape creative decisions decades later• Why gathering information can be more helpful than making dramatic leaps• The difference between taking a leap and building a runway towards change• How to make decisions from facts rather than fearEach dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life.If you have a creative dilemma you'd like me to explore, please email me at:[email protected] can also find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart.