Behind The Pencil Podcast

I have a new name for these little chatty updates, welcome to 'Pencil Notes' episode 2, a (hardly) edited, messy, scribbly podcast episode where I waffle all things Behind The Pencil. The Christmas market/stall episode is coming next week! Hope you enjoy this chatty one. Thank you for listening and hope you're having a great start to the week, Molly Jay

A very different episode today! Much shorter and chattier - it's been slightly more chaotic than usual the last 2 weeks and because of the increase in workload I've struggled to sit down and record this weeks episode properly. I thought instead of missing a week I'd quickly hop on and update you all on what's been happening BTP. I'll be back with a normal episode Tuesday chatting about Christmas fairs and what to do to prep for them! Thank you for listening and hope you're having a great start to the week, Molly Jay

In episode 12 I'm chatting about taking my three original wildlife artworks to a new location to be hung, my thoughts of them not selling / finding a forever home so far and what I can do to change that going forward with my marketing strategies. I also briefly chat about us Artists feeling disheartened if our work doesn't sell straight away. I hope you can relate to this episode in some small way, thank you for listening, Molly Jay

For episode 11 I'm taking a deep dive into all the other art tools I use as a coloured pencil and graphite Artist. In part one (episode 10) I discussed my favourite papers, coloured pencil brands I use and my favourite white and black pencils. Part two will cover graphite pencils, and all the other tools I use like erasers, sharpeners, the slice tool, fixative, my scanner and any other bits and bobs I use daily to create Art. Hope you enjoy this one, I have popped all the links to the materials I mention on my website blog - link in bio!

For episode 10 I'm taking a deep deep dive into everything I use as a full time Artist, working mostly in coloured pencil and graphite pencil. This episode was so long I have split it into two parts, oops - (love a bit of art waffle

After missing a week off work due to being unwell, I was very out of my usual routine and mindset this week. I thought I'd just chat about the realities of being a self employed Artist and bouncing back into routine when you've had some time away from your desk. *Disclaimer* it's absolutely ok to take some time off when you're self employed! Especially when your body needs that rest. I chat about getting back into routine, trying to bounce back and battling that pesky self employed guilt we all have when we're not working. Hope this episode helps you in some small way if you're feeling the same

Episode 8 marks two months of recording this podcast, and I felt very reflective, as you can tell! I just wanted to discuss some of the positives I have experienced over the last 8 weeks, as well as feeling a bit cringe and like a total newbie. However, feeling this way is the entry price on the road to success, growth and self development and I am ok with that. It's a chatty debrief episode from me, and I hope you can take away something positive from this week's ramblings

In episode 7 I wanted to talk about the importance of creating your own opportunities as an Artist. Going after what you want is something I very quickly became aware of when I first went self employed. I chat about preparing for opportunities, getting out of your comfort zone, being proactive and facing rejection. It also turns into a little bit of a pep talk at times so if you're after a little boost this episode is for you

In episode 6 I wanted to talk about a lowlight of being a self employed Artist, and that is having self doubt. I think this is something that all of us struggle with from time to time, and I thought I'd share some of the things I have done recently to help me in my wobbly moments

For episode 5 I felt inspired to chat about creating original Art and how we can produce art that is truly authentic to ourselves. This is the direction I'm heading in currently and having an Arty meet up with fellow Coloured Pencil Artist Hannah Lipsey definitely sparked some inspiration to talk about it. It's a very chatty one from me, and I'm hoping it'll all make sense!

In this episode of Behind The Pencil, I'm chatting a little bit about Art block and how frustrating and demotivating it is for us Artists! I share some of the things that have really helped me overcome Art block when I've been through it myself, and touch on removing the pressure, recovering your inspo and ways to help spark back your motivation

In this episode I chat about the steps, tips and tricks I have implemented to improve my time management as an Artist

In this episode I chat about my own experiences with feeling lost creatively as a commission based Artist, and how I navigated myself out of feeling overwhelmed to excited about creating new artwork. I cover how changing direction with your medium, subject matter or career shouldn't be scary. Changing course doesn't mean you've failed the previous one

Hello and welcome to the first episode of Behind The Pencil, an Artists podcast sharing all the highlights and lowlights of being a self-employed Artist, life behind being a Coloured Pencil Artist and all the magic that happens behind the scenes, before the pencil actually touches the paper ✍