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Extraordinary Creatives

Ceri Hand

Extraordinary Creatives: The Premier Art Podcast

Welcome to the Extraordinary Creatives podcast, your gateway to the world of exceptional artists and creative leaders who have defied the odds to make a significant impact in the arts and beyond.

Hosted by Ceri Hand, creative coach, curator, and seasoned arts and business insider, this podcast offers a wealth of insights into art and creativity through in-depth interviews. Ceri’s extensive experience and genuine passion for the arts make every episode a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice.

At the heart of Extraordinary Creatives is the belief that creativity is essential for success. However, it is the courage, confidence, and resilience to dare to be different that truly transforms the world. With her warm, playful, and straight-talking style, Ceri delves into the ideas, processes, mindsets, victories, and challenges of trailblazers who have paved the way in the arts.

Ceri’s mission is to support 100,000 artists and arts leaders by 2025 by providing exclusive access to information, inspiration, and expertise. Discover the transformative power of art with Extraordinary Creatives. Tune in and follow so you don’t miss an episode!

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July 9 · 14 min
The Six Roles Artists Get Hired For In Public Art (Most Don't Realise They Have A Choice) - Commissions Series, Part 7 of 9
Artists if you've ever been invited into a public art commission, here's the thing nobody tells you. Most of you assume you've been asked to make a single artwork. A sculpture, an installation, a piece. You usually haven't. There are six different roles you might be playing inside that project, and getting the wrong one means you've quietly accepted a job you didn't sign up for. Worse hours. Different fee structure. Different scope. The same brief, with you doing the wrong work inside it. This is the most expensive mistake that artists make in public art. And almost nobody is told the roles even exist. Here’s what I want to give you today: the five main reasons public art gets commissioned, the six roles’ artists are actually hired to play and how to recognise which one you’ve been invited into), and one question to ask any prospective commissioner that reveals in 30 seconds whether they’ve properly scoped the project or are asking you to finish their thinking as well as the work. This is for artists curious about public art who haven’t yet made the move, and for those already working in it who’ve felt a commission go quietly wrong without knowing why. This episode is part seven of a nine-part series on commissions. The first six cover everything from mindset and pricing through to the legacy package - the foundations you need before you take a single enquiry into public art. If you haven’t done so yet, hit follow so you don’t miss an episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS Understand which role you've been invited to at the start of the conversation. Ask yourself which of those five commission types is closest to what you make already and how you work - that tells you which kind of public commission to be looking for. If you’re new to public art, treat temporary and meanwhile work as laboratories. They’re lower risk for commissioners, and they let you test how your practice behaves in public BEST MOMENTS “Done well, a single public commission can shift the trajectory of an entire practice. Done badly, it can swallow two years of your life and leave you broke, exhausted, and quietly furious.” “Sometimes it's worth recognising you might not be able to be all things in public art.” EPISODE RESOURCES 1st episode in series - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GoxWpKkkdZQE9pvvrGSNt HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
July 6 · 1 hr 15 min
Building a Sustainable Truly Creative Practice Without Selling Out - with Luke Jerram
Imagine setting fire to half your art budget before lunchtime. Seven hot air balloons grounded in a field. Fourteen speakers. The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra waiting to be paid. And a city council expecting you to reach a hundred thousand people by the end of the week. That is the kind of corner Luke Jerram has found himself in. And it is also the corner that produced Play Me, I'm Yours - pianos in the street for anyone to play. Two thousand of them. Seventy cities. Welcome to Extraordinary Creatives. I'm Ceri Hand. Follow the show so episodes like this land in your feed every week. Luke Jerram is the artist behind Museum of the Moon, Gaia, Helios, Park and Slide, Sky Orchestra, and Glass Microbiology. His work has been seen by tens of millions of people. Close to a thousand exhibitions across forty countries. Pieces held in over eighty permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Wellcome Collection in London. And he has built all of this from a studio in Bristol, with a team around him, without gallery representation. In this conversation you will hear how he funds projects nobody has made before, why he turned down Red Bull and Coca-Cola, and what he calls stamina of dissatisfaction - the last five percent that lifts a piece from good enough to worthy of people's attention. I hope you find this as inspiring as I did. KEY TAKEAWAYS Most artists make a piece, show it once, and move on. Luke lives with a piece across a hundred installations and refines it. That last 5% of refinement makes the work land, turns it into something enduring that funds the next project and the next. Being an artist is a marathon, not a sprint. A diverse practice takes longer to build. But that willingness to keep reinventing yourself creates adaptability. Don´t underestimate your ability to solve problems and learn from failure. It´s up to us to decide on the rules we play by. BEST MOMENTS “I like creating artworks that leave space for other people to be creative.” “If you knew you had to be rejected 100 times before you were a millionaire, you'd be really excited to get your first rejection, wouldn't you?” “There's no such thing as luck. You've got to be ready … when the phone call comes … make it easy for them to say yes.” For the text version of the topics, we cover each week in the Beat the Block Shorty episodes, straight to your inbox, head to http://cerihand.com/subscribe. RESOURCES https://www.lukejerram.com https://www.instagram.com/lukejerramartist HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
July 2 · 15 min
How To Stop Commissions Eating Your Profit (Part 6 of 9)
Artists — if you take commissions, here's the number that should frighten you. Scope drift, the polite, gradual expansion of a commission beyond what you agreed, eats twenty to thirty per cent of the original fee in unpaid work on most commissions I see. That isn't a margin problem. That's your profit. Gone. On every job. And it isn't because you did bad work. It's because nobody taught you how to manage what happens after the deposit lands. This episode is part six of a nine-part series on commissions — how to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today we cover three stages. Managing the making - which is where most commissions go wrong, and almost never for the reason artists think. Delivery and the story of the work — the bit that quietly funds the next commission if you do it right. And the legacy package — the stage almost every artist skips, and the single most commercially valuable thing you can build into your practice. KEY TAKEAWAYS Once the deposit lands, you’re managing 2 things: the work and the client’s psychology. Build in named updates and review points so they feel heard, without turning the project into an open invitation for endless tweaks. Treat the legacy package as your quiet sales engine. A simple bundle—certificate, process images, care instructions, and a short narrative, turns a buyer into a custodian. Custodians come back, commission again, and quietly introduce you to your next three clients. Ceri´s tried and tested but simple 11‑stage process means you stop rebuilding your practice from scratch for every enquiry. Instead, you run each commission through the same calm, repeatable structure. BEST MOMENTS “Scope drift … eats 20 to 30 per cent of the original fee in unpaid work on most commissions I see. That isn't a margin problem. That's your profit. Gone.” "Saying no to a commission that doesn't pass the filters is not lost income, it's preserved capacity." You can get a text version of today's episode plus new practical guidance every week if you subscribe to my Beat The Block newsletter – Access it here - https://cerihand.com/subscribe/ EPISODE RESOURCES First episode of 9-part series - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designing-the-way-you-want-to-work-the-mindset/id1709105337?i=1000769915059 PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 29 · 2 hr 2 min
The Work That Lasts Speaks To What Is Stuck, Not What Is Comfortable with Lucia Pietroiusti
The art that stays with you isn't the art that pleases you. It's the art that names the thing stuck at the back of your throat — the one you couldn't quite say out loud — and then makes it real. That's Lucia Pietroiusti. Curator of the Golden Lion-winning Sun & Sea, Head of Research & Emergence at the new Hartwig Museum in Amsterdam and Curator of The 2027 Autostrada Biennale. In this conversation, we get into why the works that last speak to the body before the mind, and what it really takes to hold space for art that risks making people uncomfortable. We talk about ideas behaving like people, about institutions learning to hold a piece of an artist's life rather than commissioning a piece of their work, and about being tethered and free at the same time. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. KEY TAKEAWAYS The artworks that stay with us often bypass explanation. They reach "something stuck at the back of your throat" before the intellect catches up, reminding us that feeling can be a form of knowledge. Meaning isn't delivered by the artist and received by the audience. It emerges in the space between them. The work offers coordinates, not conclusions - people find their own way through. Art creates meaning, connection, and transformation in ways that go beyond language. The most powerful art isn't the art that explains the world. It creates the conditions for people to feel, experience, and discover something they couldn't quite access before. Trust intuition, trust audiences, trust long-term relationships, and trust that meaningful work often emerges from uncertainty rather than certainty. BEST MOMENTS "An artwork that stands the test of time is one that speaks not to your mind, but to something that's stuck at the back of your throat. And in a sense allows you to release that." “There´s the sort of belly register - the heart, the body register, then there's the brain register, all of it working together…you're not over-emphasizing that it has to be understood intellectually first.” “Ideas behave like people - they need rooms to move through, and time to become whatever they are going to become.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/luciapietroiusti_/ https://luciapietroiusti.earth/ PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 25 · 12 min
Artists, Get Paid To Think Before You Get Paid To Make (part 5 of 9)
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today, episode 5 of 9 - If you only listen to one, I would ask that it be this one. Because I am going to tell you about the single biggest shift most artists can make in how they run commissions. It changes the economics. It changes the relationship. It changes how the client sees you. And it is still, astonishingly, the thing nearly every artist is not yet doing. It is called paid concept development. So, last week's episode. The enquiry filter told you this client was serious. The chemistry call confirmed they were a good fit. The alignment document came back confirmed, with minor amendments. The client is now saying, brilliant, love it, let's go. This is where most artists collapse. They work for free. Sometimes 5 hours. Sometimes 10. Sometimes, on larger commissions, 30 or 40 hours of unpaid concept work before a single £ is on the table. This is the shape of how artists lose weeks of unpaid labour every year. And most do not realise it is happening, because the work feels like normal commission behaviour. But it isn't. It is something an industry has normalised that is quietly killing its own practitioners. There is another way. KEY TAKEAWAYS Every industry where bespoke work is produced charges for concept work -architects, designers etc. It simply means the client is paying upfront for your thinking: visuals, materials, research, concept rationale, scale considerations. They keep that work whether or not they proceed. Paid concept development filters out the clients who were never going to commission anyway - before you've spent hours working for them. Once your proposal is accepted, move to a second, separate production agreement: final fee, a 50% deposit with a 30/20% payment schedule, named dates, fabrication details, and written responsibilities. No ambiguity, no loose ends. BEST MOMENTS "It's something an industry has normalised that is quietly killing its own practitioners." "You're not asking for something unusual, you're matching professional standards." "The 50% deposit is not optional. If a client pushes back on the deposit, that's information.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 22 · 1 hr 39 min
Trust Discomfort As Part of Your Creative Language with Amartey Golding
Amartey Golding makes chainmail sculptures that are seductive, threatening, funny, and deeply unsettling all at once. And in this conversation, he explains why discomfort might be one of the most important tools an artist has. Raised between London, Ghana, Rastafarian culture, council estates, and rural England, Amartey speaks with rare honesty about growing up between identities and how that tension became the emotional engine of his work. In this conversation, you’ll hear how he learned to trust discomfort as part of his creative language, why audience feedback became essential to sharpening his voice, and how he creates installations that work not just intellectually, but viscerally — through sound, light, atmosphere, scale, and the body itself. We talk about the emotional labour behind ambitious projects, the crash that can come after making large-scale work, and why sustainability, family life, and building a nourishing environment now matter as much to him as artistic ambition. But perhaps most importantly, this episode offers a powerful lesson in how to develop your own artistic voice: not by trying to become someone else, but by listening more deeply to the contradictions, histories, and instincts already living inside you. This one is rich, layered, funny, tender, and deeply human. I can’t wait for you to hear it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Belonging is not always about finding where we fit, but about reshaping inherited stories until they can accommodate more of who we are. Sometimes our work becomes a way of making room for identities that existing symbols struggle to contain. There are moments in a creative life when continuing to succeed at one thing becomes a barrier to discovering another. Growth often asks us to leave behind what is proven, visible and commercially rewarded. We romanticise the artist who creates through suffering. But, when people have enough security to be curious, playful, and fully present, they gain access to forms of imagination that survival alone cannot sustain. BEST MOMENTS “Extraordinary work rarely comes from pretending to have everything figured out. It comes from staying in relationship with the complexity. Staying curious enough to keep listening to your own voice as it shifts and evolves.” “For me, it's all about the visceral... it's all about the belly, making stuff from the belly.” EPISODE RESOURCES http://amarteygolding.com/ https://www.instagram.com/amarteygolding HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 18 · 12 min
Artists, Don't Reply To That Commission Enquiry — Filter First - Part 4 of 9
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today, episode four of nine. And this is where the series shifts gears. For the last three episodes, we have been doing the preparation work. The mindset. The five signatures of under-pricing. The commission ecosystem. Today, an enquiry has arrived. This is the moment most artists get wrong because this is the moment their nervous system takes over. When an enquiry lands in your inbox. And before you've finished reading it, your stomach has tightened, your brain is already drafting a reply, and somewhere in the next three sentences you're going to offer availability, ideas, enthusiasm, and a half-committed yes – all before you know you are a good fit. And the principle is this. Before you reply with anything, you filter. How, is what today´s episode is about. KEY TAKEAWAYS Ceri´s short enquiry form is a low-friction sieve: it quietly filters out tire-kickers, and a serious client will fill it in within 10 minutes. The right questions reveal what they actually want, how committed they are, whether they really get your work, and whether their budget and timeline are realistic. After the enquiry form, you move into a chemistry call – 30 minutes - to ask important questions and spot red flags. Then, produce an alignment document to further test understanding. If the client confirms the alignment document, you move forward; if they come back with big changes, it’s a sign you weren’t fully aligned on the call – it’s far better to catch that now than 3 months into making. BEST MOMENTS “Stage one of responding to any inquiry is the initial filter, low friction, high signal, a sieve, not a conversation.” “If those signals are weak, you slow things down, you don't ghost them, but you don't rescue them, you reply politely with more questions,” “The alignment document - a short-written document that confirms in writing what you heard, not a proposal, not a quote, an alignment document.” For a text version of today's teaching, plus new practical guidance every week, you can subscribe to Beat the Block at http://cerihand.com/subscribe EPISODE RESOURCES First episode of this 9-part series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/designing-the-way-you-want-to-work-the-mindset/id1709105337?i=1000769915059 HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 15 · 1 hr 27 min
Don't Wait For Permission To Build The World You Want To Live In with Ian Giles and David Shenton
I have two guests on the podcast today, and they have made something extraordinary together. The first drew queer Britain into being for sixty years and quietly refused to call any of its art. It paid the mortgage. It was cheaper than being a window cleaner. He published the world's first LGBTQ+ graphic novel in 1983, drew for Gay News, Capital Gay and The Guardian, made safer-sex campaigns through the AIDS crisis, and hung a nineteen-metre banner at Carrow Road for Justin Fashanu. All of which he called work - never art. That guest is cartoonist David Shenton. The artist who finally insisted it was art is Ian Giles. Together they have made Kindly Ease the Tension, David's first ever institutional retrospective. It begins with a small burnt doll, dressed in clothes knitted by a boy in a Lancashire terrace house and thrown into the fire by his father. The doll survived. So did the boy. In this conversation we get into what happens when somebody finally calls your sixty years of work art. We talk about the Duvet of Love; an AIDS memorial David stitched in a bedsit that he never meant to be art. We talk about the trans baton being passed in a moment when many in the gay community have gone quiet. We talk about censorship and the rising conservatism in the arts, the works that have to be shown after hours, the double standard between classical nudity and queer images. And we talk about what intergenerational care actually looks like in practice. David is seventy-seven and says this retrospective has stretched his horizon by another ten years. There is a lesson in that for all of us. KEY TAKEAWAYS Some of the most important opportunities in your career won’t arrive through a formal application process. They happen because you care enough to ask the question, start the conversation, or create the thing you wish existed. What feels awkward, unfashionable, or difficult in one chapter of your life may be exactly what gives your work its depth and originality later on - resist the temptation to self-censor. BEST MOMENTS “The work you make at your kitchen table, when nobody is watching, may turn out to be the archive of a generation. Keep going. Pass the baton when it is time.” “I really wanted to live in a world where there was a David Shenton retrospective.” RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/d.shenton https://www.instagram.com/iangiles https://www.museumscollections.norfolk.gov.uk/collections-object-page?id=NWHCM%20:%202016.221.1 HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? https://cerihand.com/membership/ Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ Book a Discovery Call To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching, email us at hello@cerihand.com This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 11 · 12 min
Your Commission Ecosystem: Four Decisions To Make Before The Next Enquiry Lands - Part 3 of 9
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today, episode three of nine. The first practical stage of the commission process. Your commission ecosystem. In episode one, we did the mindset work. In episode two, we named the five mistakes that almost every underpriced commission has in common. Today we start building the structure. Here is the principle. Stage one of any serious commission practice is the invisible work. The four decisions you make, in advance, before any enquiry arrives. These decisions form what I call your commission ecosystem. Build it once. Revisit it annually. Let it do the work of saying no, so you do not have to do it in the moment. Why does this matter? Because the moment an enquiry arrives, your nervous system will want to say yes. The ecosystem, written down in advance, is the only thing standing between that yes and the resentment you will feel six months later. Four decisions. Let me walk you through each. KEY TAKEAWAYS Set a clear annual profit target for commissions - pricing will stop feeling vague or reactive any you will know how many of each type of commission you need to complete to keep your practice viable. A written rules list and clarity on materials, scale, and time protect you from burnout work and pull in the commissions that genuinely grow your practice. BEST MOMENTS “The year is the unit, not the commission. Once you know what the year needs to earn, every individual commission conversation becomes easier, because you know what you're measuring against.” “This is the work. Nobody else can do it for you. But once it's done, every inquiry that arrives from that moment onward lands into a structure that already knows how to respond to it.” “Clarity makes an artist easier to collaborate with, not harder. It gives the people commissioning them something stable to work with.” For a text version of today's teaching, plus new practical guidance every week, you can subscribe to Beat the Block at https://cerihand.com/subscribe/ EPISODE RESOURCES Episode 1 of this 9-part series - https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/designing-the-way-you-want-to-work-the-mindset/id1709105337?i=1000769915059 HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 8 · 1 hr 36 min
Grief, Caregiving and Work That Shines Through It All with Alexis Soul-Gray
Today’s guest is an extraordinary artist whose work feels deeply lived rather than simply made. Alexis Soul-Gray is a British painter exploring memory, loss, and maternal lineage through richly layered works that move between abstraction and figuration. Based in Devon, her paintings feel both intimate and expansive. A graduate of the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins, Alexis has exhibited internationally, received two Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants, and won The Delphian Open in 2021. Alongside her studio practice, she also curates’ exhibitions, including Declarative Language, a group show bringing together women artists whose practices have been shaped by caregiving within neurodivergent families. We talk about art school, grief, motherhood, caregiving, advocacy, and the challenge of continuing to make work that stays true to lived experience rather than outside expectation. Exploring the realities of artistic identity alongside financial pressure, loss, and resilience. What unfolds is an honest and deeply human conversation about endurance, creativity, and what it takes to keep going when life refuses to move in a straight line. KEY TAKEAWAYS When you’ve carried grief and caring responsibilities for years, the work you make in the margins is not “less than” - it’s work that has learned to hold chaos, fatigue, school refusal, and hospital letters in the same frame as colour, gesture, and form. You don’t need a clean, linear career to be an artist; you need a stubborn thread. The years of bad jobs, failed applications, family rupture, and self-doubt don’t sit outside the practice - they deepen it. The culture will always reward tidy, repeatable pictures, but painting is something else: a willingness not to know the outcome in advance, to refuse being a production line for your own style, to risk disappointing people who only came for the last hit. BEST MOMENTS “I just couldn't really see that my practice would ever become a full-time pursuit for me. It was very much the kitchen table … snatched moments.” “A creative life is not built in perfect conditions, it's built in real ones… sometimes the most important thing is not how quickly you move forward, but that you keep returning to the work.” “There is no neat formula here. No single turning point where everything suddenly resolves. Instead, what we hear is a gradual return.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/Alexis_soul_gray HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 4 · 13 min
The Five Signatures Of An Underpriced Commission – Part 2 of 9
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today, episode two of nine. The five mistakes I see every artist make when pricing commissions. I see them every single week. In coaching conversations. In the Mastermind Circle. In private messages from artists I have never met who have found my work. Different artist. Different medium. Different decade of experience. Same five mistakes. Every time. If you listened to episode one, you'll remember I opened with a story about a textile artist, mid-career, who sent me a costing for a corporate commission and told me he was embarrassed. Today we are opening up his costing. Not literally his numbers, but the five mistakes inside it. Because every one of them will be familiar to you. KEY TAKEAWAYS Quote in the currency your costs are in; otherwise, you're letting the currency markets quietly price your work for you. If the market shifts in the time it takes you to create the commission, you can easily lose 5 to 15% of your fee. Your client sees the finished piece, but you lived a “three-month shadow life” around making it; your fee has to reflect the shadow life, not just the visible outcome. Day rates anchor your income to availability; move to project fees so you’re pricing the value of a lifetime of practice, not slices of your calendar. Treat bespoke and repeatable work as two different commissions with two different pricing logics and stop trying to negotiate all of that over email. BEST MOMENTS “When artists and creative practitioners move from day rates to project fees or to flat fees based on the scope of the commission, two things happen, the fee goes up and the quality of the relationship improves.” “Every commission disaster I've ever coached on can be traced back to a decision made over email.” “A good commission process protects three things. Your time. Your practice. Your sanity.” Don't forget, you can get a text version of today's episode plus new practical guidance every week if you subscribe to my Beat The Block newsletter – Access it here - https://cerihand.com/subscribe/ PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
June 1 · 1 hr 22 min
When Music Meets Image: Crafting Emotional Worlds On Screen with Tiffany Anders
Today’s guest is someone who quite literally shapes how stories feel. Tiffany Anders is a music supervisor working across film, television, and advertising, and if you’ve ever been completely pulled into a scene emotionally, there’s a good chance someone like Tiffany helped build that experience. Her work spans everything from the Sundance-winning indie film Like Crazy to major series like Reservation Dogs and Netflix’s BEEF. What’s remarkable is how seamlessly she moves between those worlds, bringing the same instinct, care, and emotional precision whether she’s working with a tiny music budget or a global production. But what makes Tiffany especially compelling is how she got here. Growing up in Los Angeles around filmmakers and musicians, she absorbed how music and images work together to tell a story. That deep sense of listening still defines the way she approaches her work today. We talk about how a project unfolds from script to screen, how she figures out what a scene needs emotionally, and how she balances instinct with the realities of budget, time, and negotiation. We also get into collaboration, creative identity, and the invisible decisions that shape the emotional experience of film and television. And there are some brilliant stories along the way, from discovering music as a kid and playing in bands to her recent work on The Lowdown. If you’ve ever wondered how music really works in storytelling, or how to build a creative life that can hold both art and complexity, this is a great one. KEY TAKEAWAYS Your early environment matters, but it’s not about having perfect conditions. In Tiffany’s case, it was chaotic, it was under-resourced, it required her to grow up quickly. But what she did was translate that into skills. It’s not about imposing taste or showing off knowledge. It’s about understanding the world of the work deeply enough that the right choice becomes obvious. And that comes from years of paying attention. From being curious BEST MOMENTS “You needed those role models … to be able to go, okay, this is feasible for me, I can do this.” “In a world where it’s easy to skim, shortcut, and replicate, Tiffany has built her career on going deeper. Listening properly. Understanding the backstory.” “Creativity isn’t just about what you make. It’s about how you think, how you connect, and how you move through complexity.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/jumblequeen PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
May 28 · 11 min
Designing The Way You Want To Work - The Mindset Shift Behind Every Commission That Doesn't Burn You Out Part 1 of 9
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode. Today, episode one of nine. The mindset. Because nothing in the practical work across the next eight episodes actually holds if the mindset is not in the right place. Let me start with a story. KEY TAKEAWAYS Before you draft a single document, you have to get honest about what you actually want, not what feels polite, not what you think people can afford, not what your imagined client might say yes to, what sustains your practice and keeps Your work alive. You're not responding to briefs, you're filtering them, shaping them, and sometimes quietly refusing them. A commission inquiry is not an instruction, it’s a proposition. Your job is not to say “yes” by default, it’s to decide: Do I want to make this? Can I make it well, profitably, and without wrecking my sanity? Audit your last two years of commissions: Which ones drained you? Which ones energised you? - notice the patterns. These will inform how you set up your commission process in future. BEST MOMENTS “When you define your process, your time and the kind of commissions that genuinely excite you, something changes. You stop bending yourself to every vague inquiry.” “The hunger for work that feels human, specific, and emotionally resonant is only going to grow the work you make, the way you make it, the meaning you bring to it, that's becoming rarer - not less valuable - more valuable.” “You're not responding to briefs, you're filtering them, shaping them, and sometimes quietly refusing them.” "Your role is not to shrink in anticipation of rejection. Your role is to articulate clearly what you offer, how you work, and what it costs." EPISODE RESOURCES Julia Cameron episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-artists-way-simple-tools-that-sustain/id1709105337?i=1000759449006 PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

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