Thriving Women Artists

Ping is here with a big announcement. The Thriving Women podcast is coming to an end…but don't panic!  Ping is launching her very own brand new show - Botany Works Podcast. Each week on the show Ping, and her high profile guests, will share with you their insights into the world of art from both a creative and business perspective.  So join Ping as she helps you to grow your business, become successful and create a healthy work / life balance. You can listen to Botany Works Podcast on your favourite podcast platform. And thank you for listening, and for all your support and reviews of The Thriving Woman Artist Podcast.    LINKS Botany Works Artist Instagram Join Ping on her new adventure with the Botany Artist Works Podcast: Botany Works Artist - Spotify ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping He, a happy artist from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. Ping welcomes you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art

Welcome to this fresh look at Thriving Women Artist Podcast with your host, Ping He. In this episode, Ping is joined by watercolour artist and owner of Mitta Studio, Darya Mitta. In this wide ranging interview the ladies discuss everything from inspirations to motivation and time management to achieving success. So sit back and enjoy the first new look at what promises to be a great show.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Darya talks about her journey in the art world, from falling in love with painting at school, to working in design, and then taking the leap to follow her heart and become an artist.   Darya explains where she obtained her positive mindset and how reaffirming this on a daily basis helps her progress as an artist.  Darya and Ping talk about the importance of taking your work step by step and not to look for the end until it arrives.  The ladies discuss the importance of time management and balancing life and work commitments and share tips that you might find helpful. BEST MOMENTS “If you don't think you are a genius, how will other people think it about you?” “Find your potential, because that is the part that is unlimited.” “Don't be afraid of making mistakes, you can always, always change them.” EPISODE LINKS Darya's Website Darya's Instagram ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping He, a happy artist from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. Ping welcomes you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOST Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art

This week's show is a special one, it's the final ever episode of the Thriving Women Podcast. Ping, Dorien and Sarah are all here to take a look back over the last two and a half years. In this bittersweet episode the ladies share the lessons they have learned, their initial expectations versus the reality of producing a weekly podcast and what the future holds for your favourite thriving women artists.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies talk about some of the things they got from the podcast that they never anticipated, such as inspiration from talking to other artists. Sarah talks about some of the plans for the show and how they never came to fruition, but in retrospect, how that may have been a good thing.  The ladies share the lessons they learned from each other throughout the last two and a half years and how they contributed to making each other better artists. The ladies discuss their future plans including the possibility of bringing the show back in a new format. BEST MOMENTS“With any creative process your goals can change along the way, but the best thing to do is keep moving forward.” “In order to make your work successful you need to have balance with your family life and your personal life.” “Dream big and chase your dreams, no matter what.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaar

This week on the show, Sarah, Doreen and Ping are all here to talk about how to stay focused on your own artistic journey. But what is your creative journey? Can you really define it? How do you know when you're on it or when you've fallen off it? And, is there ever an end point? The ladies go into depth on the most personal aspect of being an artist.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies start the discussion by laying out the importance of knowing what your journey is and what your journey isn't. Doreen talks about the importance of being self aware on your journey and stopping along the way to take stock of how far you've come.  Sarah sees her journey not as a single straight line, but as many interconnecting lines that have the potential to take her in directions she never imagined.  The ladies talk about the importance of not comparing your journey to that of others, especially those you consider to be more successful. BEST MOMENTS“Is there an end to your creative journey or is it an ongoing evolution, just like life.” “Creative satisfaction comes from a combination of doing the things that make you happy and speaking your truth.”  “Someone might give off the perception of being successful, but you will never know what they are really experiencing, so don't waste your time comparing yourself to them.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week Ping, Doreen and Sarah are all here and they're discussing how to overcome creative fears. All artists have fears, from those just starting out to the most accomplished in their fields. The ladies talk about some common fears, some fears specific to them, tips and tricks on how to overcome them and, are you really an artist if you don't have fears.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies discuss what their fears are such as the fear of not being good enough and the fear of being compared to others.    Sometimes our fears aren't rational. Try to remove yourself and look objectively at the problem. Sarah talks about how your art is also a job and not every rejection is personal. Ping talks about embracing fear and how, with a recent commission, she overcame her fear by just ‘taking a leap' into the unknown.  The ladies talk about one of the most common fears..the fear of a blank page, and share tips on how they overcome it.  BEST MOMENTS“Try not to give your fears too much power as they can control you, use them as an incentive to improve.” “Most of the time our fears can be defeated by simply just starting.” “The more you do it, the easier it will become.” “Instead of being afraid of the task ahead, be grateful for the opportunity.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week Ping is joined by artist Marenthe. Marenthe is a successful artist who has specialised in a wide range of practices over a long career. In this interview Marenthe discusses her journey in the art world, tips and tricks she uses on a daily basis, her progression as an artist and some of the challenges she has faced over the years and how she overcame them. KEY TAKEAWAYS Marenthe details her journey as an artist from founding her own design agency and through the twists and turns that led her to where she is today.   Marenthe and Ping share their thoughts on digital versus analog art and the strengths and weaknesses they see in both. Marenthe talks about the business side of art, how most artists try to avoid it and why ‘money' isn't a dirty word. Marenthe talks about how she gets over a creative block and details how she finds that ‘taking a leap' is the thing that always sets her free.  BEST MOMENTS“Have a routine, they are important, but if an idea pops into your head, don't be afraid to put everything else to one side and run with that idea.” “You have to accept that sometimes it isn't about pleasure, sometimes you have to do the hard work.” “Promote your art the way you create it, in an authentic way. When it's from the heart, people will relate to it.” “We don't know what we don't know until we experience it.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE GUESTMarenthe OttenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/marenthehttps://www.instagram.com/theartbeatclub Websites: https://www.theartbeatclub.com/https://www.marenthe.com/ ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Finally, the gang are all back together. Dorien, Ping and Sarah are all here this week and they're talking about creative breakthroughs. They share their thoughts on what a creative breakthrough actually is, tips and tricks you can try to achieve one, why they are important and, interestingly, how sometimes they are not what they appear to be. KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies talk about what a creative breakthrough actually is and how they can sometimes appear small but actually be big. Do breakthroughs find you or do you find them? And are you more likely to get one if you're not actively looking for it? The ladies discuss. Ping discusses how she has found that if she simplifies her work then she is more likely to achieve a breakthrough. The ladies discuss the idea that having a dramatic change in working practices can often lead to a breakthrough.  BEST MOMENTS “A breakthrough isn't just winning an award or getting a big advance, sometimes it can just be a small discovery you make on your own.” “If you force yourself to find a breakthrough, you might end up losing sight of why you were looking for one in the first place.” “If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. Don't be afraid to change directions, you never know where it will lead you.” ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week on the show Ping is joined by special guest Tracey English. Tracey has had a long and successful career as an artist working with illustrations and collages. In this interview she shares her creative journey, the lessons she's learned and her top tips for artists both new and experienced. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tracey talks about her journey to being an illustrator which took her from studying textiles to colour forcesating, to selling her work at market stalls to illustration and finally to where she is today. Tracey and Ping talk about the importance of continuing to find joy in work despite how successful you become as when it becomes just a job, you can lose that creative spark. Tracey shares the most valuable lessons she has learnt throughout her career including a key lessons…stay relevant. The ladies talk about the importance of networking in the art community and how this can be done online, through markets and even taking part in challenges. BEST MOMENTS “The best qualities an artist can have are to be hardworking, open minded, flexible and willing to accept setbacks.” “Your art is like your handwriting, it has a particular look and that's what draws people to your work.” “The great thing about taking your art to markets is that you get to see people's reaction to it, you don't get that online.” LINKS Tracey's Etsy Store ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week on the show Dorien and Ping are talking about how to create consistency in your artwork. The ladies share their five top tips for creating consistency in your work from taking breaks to finding creative partners. Speaking from experience, Dorien and Ping are here to help you be the best! KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies talk about the relationship of consistency and motivation and how one informs the other.  Ping talks about how practising in different styles of art helps her motivation and makes her realise that she is more consistent across all of her projects.  Ping clarifies the importance of taking a break from your work and how, by stepping back, you can be more objective about your progress. The ladies talk about the idea of setting yourself goals or joining online communities as a way to make your work more consistent.  BEST MOMENTS “The more you show up, the more you learn, the more motivated you will be and the better you will be.” “Consistency can also mean that you need to take regular breaks, not just keep on going and going.” “Find people to work with and share your work with. You will learn how they work but also how they look at your work.”   ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week Ping is hosting all by herself, but she is joined by special guest Anna Wilson. Anna is a successful children's book artist and has created works for Bloomsbury, Hachette and the BBC among many others. Anna shares her journey from a career in academia to becoming a successful artist and shares all the lessons she has learned along the way to help you take the next step in your artistic journey.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Anna talks about her journey to becoming an artist. Despite a career in academia, Anna continued to draw as a hobby. When her husband changed jobs this presented Anna with the opportunity to take a look at her career and she took the leap to becoming an artist.  When Anna decided to pursue art as a career she had to retrain from scratch. She talks about the steps she took and some of the courses and skills she learned that helped her along the way. Anna's first big step towards success came when she decided to let go of some of the bad habits she had picked up as a hobbyist. Once she embraced change, she received her first commission which led to her finding an agent. Anna talks about how much she has learned from drawing books as opposed to single pieces of art and shares her knowledge on how you can create better images that will flow as a story.  BEST MOMENTS“Life is too short to not do the thing you really want to do.”“You can't take success for granted. You have to continue to grow and work hard.”“Try not to criticise yourself as much. Your work is a journey, you're not going to be an expert on day one.” ABOUT THE GUESThttps://www.annawilsonink.com/  Anna has spent my life finding magic, often in unexpected places. Someone said to her that she knows how to make even a burning rubbish tip on a riverside look interesting and somehow beautiful.Anna says when she picks up a pen or paint or bottle of ink or an ipad and starts to add lines and colours and create something where there was nothing, she feels like she has come home. She is inspired by people and their stories and she loves to travel. She has been lucky enough to live in Kenya, Mongolia, China, Nepal, Germany, Tasmania, Australia and have travelled through more than 40 countries.Her clients include: Bloomsbury, Hachette, BBC, Cameron Kids Books, BirdLife Australia, Heritage Expeditions, Tribe, Woollykins, Australia Remade, Australian BirdLife Magazine. ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrationsDorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

On this week's show Ping is all by herself, but to make up for the absence of Doreen and Sarah, she is joined by renowned artistic agent Kajsa Blomberg. In a wide ranging interview, Kajsa talks about her journey from being a law graduate to a highly established agent and shares valuable tips and insights for artists that are seeking representation and what they can expect once they have it.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Kajsa graduated from law school, specialising in intellectual property law. After working for Universal music she found herself drawn to working with artists. From there she took the leap to becoming an agent.   Ping and Kajsa discuss the importance of working to your strengths and, in a relationship between an agent and a client, how each must have an understating of the other's role.  Kasja talks about her process of selecting the artists she wants to represent, and gives details of her ‘emotional checklist.' Kasja shares her top tips for artists that are looking for representation, including, surprisingly, asking yourself if you really need an agent.  BEST MOMENTS“The artist can only see the product, the agent helps them see the opportunities.”“Having an agent isn't a golden ticket to making money, you still have to be an ambassador of your own work.”“The most important question for an artist to ask themselves is ‘What do I want?', the answer to this question will help guide all your decisions.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrationsDorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaar GUEST LINKS:Kajas Blomberg's website:https://kajsablomberg.nl/Kajas Blomberg's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/blombergkajsa/This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

In this week's episode Dorien is back and the ladies are reminiscing about their lives, hopes and dreams two years ago. But have they achieved what they set out to do or have their plans changed in unexpected ways and what affects has this had on their careers and their artistic journeys?  KEY TAKEAWAYS Ping talks about how, when she recovered from breast cancer two years ago, she decided to make a positive change in her life and follow her dreams, not knowing where she would end up or if it would even work, but she knew she was determined.  The ladies talk about motivation and discipline and the importance of keeping going on a project even if the fun aspect of it disappears.   Sarah talks about how over the last two years, she moved from being dedicated to only creating children's books to expanding into all kinds of illustration and the lessons she has learned from having a more open mind about her career.   Unlike the other two ladies, Dorien admits to not making firm plans and her preference to ‘go with the flow' and expands how this affects her creative flow.  BEST MOMENTS“One of the most important things to have is persistence. Don't take no for an answer.”“Intrinsic motivation brings you discipline.”“Regardless of how much or little we plan, things always seem to come together for the best.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week Ping is at a book fair. But don't worry, Doreen is back at the mic and the ladies are looking inward. They discuss the topic of believing in yourself and how every artist should find their way to doing it as it will, ultimately, help you grow and produce your best work. KEY TAKEAWAYS What is the emotional value of art? The ladies discuss this idea and how they think it shapes the way artists approach their work. They talk about how, as children, we only see emotional value in the art we make for others, but at what stage do we lose this idea and can we get it back? If you don't put your work out there, you'll never know what reaction it will get. Are some artists reluctant to share their work for fear of rejection or because they think no one will be interested in it? Doreen and Sarah talk about why you should always try as you'll never know if you don't.  What is the difference between your inner critic and being critical of our work? How do you separate the two and how, once you understand this separation, can it lead to you flourishing as an artist? The ladies discuss the importance of making something from your heart. Don't be tempted to follow trends or fashion as this will only lead you to compare yourself to others. It takes courage to be true to yourself, but the rewards far outweigh those that you may receive from being ‘popular'. BEST MOMENTS “Every artist should believe that what they are making will be interesting to someone, otherwise why are you making it?” “Just do it, and have fun doing it. That's the most important thing.” “You never know what might resonate with someone.” ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolour artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week Ping and Sarah are joined by children's illustrator Emmi Smid. In an in depth interview Emmi shares her journey to becoming a children illustrator and storyteller, some of her success and failures along the way, her working practices and why it is important, to her, to share her stories with the world.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The guest, Emmi, discusses her journey as an artist. How she started working in fine art, then made the realisation that most of her paintings were narrative based. One day, looking at her bookshelf, she had a moment of inspiration, realising that she had always been fascinated with childrens books, from there, she took the leap to being a children's illustrator. The ladies discuss the difference between art being a hobby and a career. Do you lose the hobby aspect of it once you start to be paid for your work? Do friends and family take you seriously if you choose a career as an artist? And, what do the ladies define success as? What are your work habits and how do they compare to others? The ladies share their different approaches on everything from sketch books to full projects and discuss the need for each individual to understand what their unique process is and why they shouldn't compare it to others.  Emmi talks about the importance of working on personal projects. She talks about how it helps her figure out what is important to her and how, through sharing her stories and perspective on the world, she may be able to help others see things from a different viewpoint or realise that they're not alone.  BEST MOMENTS “You have to believe in yourself and follow the path that you are on.” “Society has conditioned us to think we are only successful if we make money. But this is not true, if you are doing the thing you love, then you are already successful.” “You've got to accept who you are, but at the same time, continue to push yourself.” EPISODE RESOURCES Instagram: @studio.emmi.smid ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

This week, Dorien is busy on a big project, but Sarah and Ping step up and talk you through planning studio time. The ladies pack their years of experience into a fun filled thirty minute episode and share some valuable tips and tricks that guarantee to make you more productive in your studio. KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies discuss how spending time in your studio to make it tidy and organised is as important as the time you spend in there to work. But remember to personalise your space, decorate not just your walls, but your pen holders, workbooks and bookshelves…remember you are an artist! Remember that lighting your studio is important. You have to find a balance between a lighting set up that makes you comfortable and creates a productive working environment, but also one that will show a true representation of the colours you are working with. If you want to improve your productivity, why not make a diary of what you do in your studio over a week. After that week is over, review your diary and find out what you actually spent your time on. You might be surprised! The ladies discuss the idea of splitting your studio time into sections. Such as, Play Time' - Where you create art for fun, or ‘Business Time' - where you concentrate on generating revenue, or ‘Contribute TIme' - where you try to help your colleagues, your community, a charity or some other third party.   BEST MOMENTS“My studio is a stage and I am a performer, so I need my stage to be organised.”“Sometimes allow yourself to be unproductive, to daydream, to create distance from your work.”“Every morning, prioritise your tasks from most urgent to least urgent.”“Know your “Why”, and then everything you do will be easier.” ABOUT THE PODCASTA serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTSPing HePing is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van DongenSarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien BellaarDorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nlwww.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Dorien is missing, but don't worry Sarah and Ping are here and they're going to get personal. This week, the ladies are going to give you an insight into their lives but not the exciting projects they are currently working on, instead they are going to talk about their personal lives and the effect it has on their work. KEY TAKEAWAYS The ladies agree that hard work is the key to success. But advise you to remember to take time off for yourself. If all you are doing is working, then you won't be able to look at your problems objectively and have any perspective.  The ladies discuss the benefits of a work life balance and how a healthy and happy home life will benefit your mental health and ultimately benefit your work  Sarah is currently not working on a big project. Whilst some people perceive that as her going through a bad patch, she is grateful for the break. It is allowing her to analyse her work and improve the areas she is not happy with. Ping discusses the need she has for her work to have meaning. She is not content with just making a living from selling her work. What she really wants is for customers to buy her works because it resonates with them. The ladies discuss bad moments in their lives and how they would tell themselves “Once we are better, we are going to do so many things.” They agree that it is important to remember that feeling once they return to the normality of daily life   BEST MOMENTS “Most importantly - enjoy this life you have chosen” “Take time to learn to grow.” “Find time for yourself, even if it's just 5 minutes a day. Do something that makes you happy for those 5 minutes.” “Never forget why you started the journey you are on. If you get stuck, lose sight of your goals or lose heart, then ask yourself, ‘Why did I start?'.” ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art  www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah and Ping are joined by Ema Malyauka, a self taught children's book illustrator, whose Belarusian surname translates to ‘drawing'. Ema discusses her creative process, sharing invaluable advice for young artists, and her journey as a self taught artist from knowing nothing about the industry to becoming a successful illustrator KEY TAKEAWAYS Ema struggled at school with regular lessons, but attended art classes outside of school and constantly received high praise from her teachers. Despite this, Ema decided against attending university to study art and began a journey of self teaching, learning from books, short courses, friends and other artists. Ema is a lifelong fan of childrens books. From an early age she collected childrens books and images from the internet. When she finally decided to become an illustrator she did not hesitate to specialise in childrens illustrations. Ema's first professional experience was working with a friend who self published their own books. She recommends this to all young artists as it was an opportunity to learn her trade and make mistakes without the pressure that comes with working with an established publishing house. When she started her career she didn't know anything about the professional world of illustration including publishers and portfolio's, but she found advice and guidance from fellow artists online that helped her career flourish. To generate her own stories, Ema asks herself a question central to her idea and then makes a library of images and thoughts as well as researching other fairy tales through books and podcasts to ‘feed her brain.' Ema also recommends creating a nice environment to work in. She finds that she has more inspiration if she covers her sketchbooks in colourful fabric instead of leaving them with their natural covers.   Some of Ema's favourite illustrators include Adolf Born, Jiří Šalamoun, André François and Varya Yakovleva BEST MOMENTS “It's a great time for the illustration world because of the increase of mobile phones and tablets, everything has to be more visually pleasing.” “I always recommend young artists to try a project with a friend. You'll be more relaxed, not afraid to make mistakes and get an understanding of the process.” “Find people in the illustration world online. They are lovely people and will be happy to help and advise you.” “Don't compare your journey to others. Your journey is what makes you unique as an illustrator.”   EPISODE RESOURCES Ema Malyauka www.instagram.com/ema_malyauka Adolf Born https://historiek.net/de-wondere-wereld-van-adolf-born/146693/ Jiří Šalamoun https://www.pametnaroda.cz/en/salamoun-jiri-1935 André François https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_François Varya Yakovleva https://www.instagram.com/varya__yakovleva/following/?hl=en     ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Devon Holzwarth is an award-winning picture book illustrator, author, and painter. She joins Ping and Dorien to tell you all about her life as a Children's Book Illustrator as well as her creative journey that led her there. Listen in for some great advice from someone who has broken into the illustration industry for themselves.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Devon went to Rhode Island School of Design art school where she majored in textile design. She majored in this because she thought that it had better job prospects than if she had chosen painting. She graduated in 2000 with a BFA. Devon moved her life to Germany when her husband was offered a job there. It was only supposed to be for a few years but she now calls the place home. The great thing about being an artist was that she could work from anywhere and the new environment could lead to new interesting opportunities. The moment that will take you to the next step can be scary and uncomfortable, which makes it hard for many of us to take it. Devon's moment of taking that step was more of a push, so she didn't have the opportunity to become wrapped up in whether or not she was comfortable or not. One piece of advice that has stuck with Devon is when she was told ‘you need to put ten years into something before it begins to become successful'. This freaked her out because she found something she enjoyed and didn't want to wait ten years for it to come to fruition. This lit a fire in her and gave her focus to succeed faster than the ten years she'd been told. Devon decided she should make her own dummy book of her story about a boy and a bee which she took with her to Bologna. She showed it to the people she met there and one of the pieces of advice she got was to separate the one story into two. So she had one story about a bee and one about a boy. That advice she received really paid off after receiving a publishing offer.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘I can do the same thing from somewhere else and be somewhere more interesting' ‘Sometimes it's a matter of knowing who you are, it's difficult to unravel in some ways' ‘You just need one more little push then you recognise that your path' ‘If an art director tell you to send them something, you better send them something'   EPISODE RESOURCES   Devon Holzwarth Devon Holzwarth (@devonholzwarth) • Instagram photos and videos devonholzwarth@gmail.com   ABOUT THE GUEST   Devon Holzwarth is a picture book illustrator, author, and painter. She is a recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award and a notable Sydney Taylor Award, as well as a Society of Illustrators gold medal winner. Born in Washington D.C., Devon grew up in Panama surrounded by nature and her dad's art supplies. She has lived in many other places, including Germany, where she currently resides with her husband, two kids, a galgo dog from Spain and a little dachshund from Romania. Devon earned her BFA in 2000 from the Rhode Island School of Design focusing on screen printing and painting. She has written & illustrated “Found You” and “Sophie's Stories” and has illustrated a number of picture books including “Tia Fortuna's New Home”, “LISTEN, How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion” and “Everywhere With You”.   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah is back on Thriving Women Artists and this week she's brought the topic of what to do when you're feeling jealous of other artists. Listen in as Ping, Dorien, and Sarah talk about how they feel jealous, what they do about it, and how jealousy isn't always a negative thing. Find out what positives can you take from this feeling to drive your own work and achieve your goals.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Jealousy is not only for artists starting out, no matter what stage you are on your journey you will look at someone else's work or where they are and feel envious. Feeling jealous of other people's work is not necessarily a negative feeling, we can use it to drive our own work, find passion, and grow as an artist. The negative side of jealousy is being overwhelmed, we've all spent far too long scrolling through Instagram and feeling like you'll never have what other people have. You should take action and change your mindset from scarcity to abundance. We all feel jealous of each other, you don't get that ‘wow' feeling at your own work. We aren't surprised by our own work but the choices other people make are a surprise to us and it makes us feel jealous. Embrace your own uniqueness and your own skill set. Be proud of yourself and use that as a base to build off, don't be jealous of others but be inspired instead. Confidence is the difference between being envious and inspired by others.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘I was depressed because I thought I couldn't do it, I didn't pick up my pencil' ‘If you want something you can grow and learn and practice' ‘It's not going to change by itself' ‘When I know what I'm capable of then I don't worry about what someone else is doing'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is a special episode because we have a guest on Thriving Women Artists, Jennifer M. Potter joins Ping and Dorien to talk about her career as a children's book illustrator. Find out about how Jennifer left her corporate job to follow her creative and artistic passions. Don't worry, Sarah will be back soon, she's currently recording some courses for Domestika.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Jennifer was a graphic designer and art director in the corporate world before she had the idea that she wanted to make a webcomic. She worked on it for a year and while she was doing this she saw and signed up for a course in children's book illustration. Jennifer made a lot of really good friends through the Make Art That Sells community and that really helped her when she was struggling to make the adjustment to being her own boss as a freelancer and not having a communal environment. There's a tip Jennifer has for getting out of her comfort zone. She is the type of person who over-prepares for everything, so by over preparing for the things that are outside her comfort zone it makes her feel more prepared for the challenge. There is a downside to over preparing, that is procrastination. We prepare so much we don't ever get around to doing the thing. Ping has a solution for this, that when you're 70% prepared you just go for it. The right feedback is priceless, but they are just people's opinions so you need to know who is the right person with the right advice for you to listen to as an individual.    BEST MOMENTS ‘I learned how much I took for granted moving from working with people to working alone' ‘The only way to make something comfortable is to do it' ‘70% is good enough, you don't need that extra 30% just to be perfect'   USEFUL RESOURCES 1) Miroslav Šašek https://thamesandhudson.com/miroslav-sasek-9780500023341 2) Edward Gorey https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Gorey 3) Barbara Westman https://www.amazon.com/Beacon-Hill-Christmas-Barbara-Westman/dp/0395247268 4) Jennifer M. Potter https://www.instagram.com/jennifermpotter   ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the podcast Sarah, Ping, and Dorien will be giving you tips for creating during stressful times. This could be a generally stressful time in life which we all have or it could be when you're facing a deadline with your work and have to be creative under that time pressure.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   We all end up leaving work until the last minute to do it, especially when we are students. We have so much time to be creative but end up having to cram it into a short amount of time. So the first piece of advice is to give yourself time, don't leave it until the pressure is there to finish it. When you are feeling stressed by a large workload, break things down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This way, when you tick off one of these smaller tasks you have that good feeling of achievement to outweigh the stress. Be kind to yourself. One of the ways Ping has learned to be kind to herself is to allow herself to sleep enough. It's okay to take a break and do something that you enjoy or relaxes you. Prioritise your to do list where the most important things get done first. This way the most stressful tasks are out of the way first. A Gantt chart is a project management tool that illustrates work completed over a period of time in relation to the time planned for the work. A Gantt chart can include the start and end dates of tasks, milestones, dependencies between tasks, assignees, and more.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘I know how long it takes me to do the things I've done before' ‘No multitasking, I don't want to be distracted' ‘Turn your ‘to do' list into a ‘tadaah' list' ‘When I'm stressed I ask for collaboration'   USEFUL RESOURCES   Use Gantt charts for project management   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the artist you see your work more than anyone else and because you see it so often, it can sometimes feel like it's becoming stale. So how do we make sure that our art remains fresh and we stay engaged and motivated to work on it? If you're asking that question then you're in luck because Ping, Sarah, and Dorien have 7 tips and pieces of advice you can use to keep your work fresh.  KEY TAKEAWAYS If Sarah is feeling like her art has become boring, it's usually because she feels her life has become a bit boring. So when she feels like this she likes to go out and try or see something new.  As Ping paints flowers, she can feel like she's painted every flower there is. So when she feels like her work needs to be freshened up she creates a whole new colour palette for a flower or paints it in a different environment that you wouldn't find it in. She creates her own story around why it is different.  Step back every now and then and stop putting all of your focus on creating. You can take time away from art to reinvent yourself or learn some new skills that you can then take back into your art.  Create work that isn't for social media, grab a new sketchbook and call it your ugly sketchbook. You don't need to worry about what goes into it, it's where creativity and magic happens.  Don't be afraid to fail, challenge yourself to keep growing. Keep learning, even if you think it's not related to what you do, you can always take something from it and put it into your work.  Surround yourself with supportive people and ask questions.  BEST MOMENTS ‘My work is a mirror of my life and how I feel' ‘I find an unexpected angle or perspective'  ‘Sometimes you go into autopilot' ‘Your learning is not linear, there are ups and downs' ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today it's just Ping and Sarah, but don't worry because Dorien will be back soon. The topic of this podcast is growing your art business beyond being an Instagram artist. Find out the different types of Instagram artists, the pros and cons of posting your art on social media, how you should react to what people say about your art, and advice for growing your business in different ways.   KEY TAKEAWAYS What is an Instagram artist? At first, it seems like it's someone who only uses Instagram as a marketing tool, but when you think more about it, you can be an artist who only posts their artwork on social media. We all want to spend less time looking at screens, especially our phones. So it's important to have a balance between using Instagram for work and just scrolling endlessly. Instagram is a great way to get over that fear of sharing your art. You don't need to go to a show or anything like that, just a few clicks and other people can see what you've made. Not everyone's opinion counts. Your opinion on your art matters most of all. Do it for yourself and not for the likes and comments. You have control of your art and not what other people think you should be doing. When you go out to art shows you get to know like-minded people who you can learn from and use that energy to grow and develop your art. Real life feedback from real people is always going to be more valuable than likes.    BEST MOMENTS ‘I only wanted to make nice things for Instagram, I was too scared to experiment' ‘Instagram helped me create a drawing habit' ‘It's not that people don't like it, it's the algorithm' ‘How many likes will make your day or break your day?'   ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lets face it, there's no part of life that doesn't come with the chance of failure, it's something we all experience. It's not the failing that matters, it's how we deal with it that is important. This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien are going to be discussing where they have failed and how they dealt with it to gain a positive outcome.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Failure is a scary thing when it happens, but most of the time you learn a lot from it and it can be beneficial if you choose to take something from it.  A failure can actually be a success if it makes you learn something that will help you grow as an individual. The road to success isn't a linear process, it has ups and downs.  If you're going to fail, it's good to fail early. Don't let failing at a new thing put you off, we're not born with all the skills we need, we have to learn them along the way.  Even if the worst thing happens in part of your artistic journey, the world will not end, there is always going to be another day to try again and do better.  Don't be afraid to talk about your failures with your close circle of friends. You can always learn things from each other and your experience might mean that you can stop someone else from failing.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Failure is like a wake up call or a stop sign' ‘All of your bad drawings are part of your journey'  ‘Trial and error is the best way to learn' ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolour artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all want to have the best assignments and commissions that are right for you. But how do we work out what commissions will be like before we say yes? Today on Thriving Women Artists, Sarah, Ping and Dorien will be talking you through how they choose who to work with and which projects appeal to them and why.   KEY TAKEAWAYS For Sarah the first thing she thinks about is money. Does the assignment pay well? Are you being attached to a big to a big company who will help get your name out there? Is there good exposure? For Dorien, money or the exposure isn' the first thing she thinks about. She asks if it fits within her vision of the world and if the topic connects with her. For Ping she has a checklist with a scale where she rates the pay, the reputation of the company, whether she will get to be experimental with her art, etc. And if the number that scale adds up to is below a certain level, then it's not a commission she would find worthwhile. It's a scientific and emotional way of looking at it. If you only ever say yes to the commissions from charities that will make you feel good, you won't actually be making very much money or sometimes no money at all. It's not selfish to put yourself first as an artist. The best assignment isn't what other people think, it's all about what you think is best for you at that time. If you evaluate afterwards you will find out if that type of assignment was right for you and if you should do it again at that stage of your career.   BEST MOMENTS ‘I think I worry about what other people are going to say about my decision' ‘Our best assignments change depending on what stage we are at, at that moment' ‘Timing is so important, if I had this assignment too early I couldn't have handled it' ‘Struggle builds up our resistance'   ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the end of the year which means it's a good time to look back and reflect on the past 12 months and see how you've grown and what you could have done better. Today on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be talking through their own year-end considerations and maybe from that, you will be able to use their experiences to make 2023 even better than 2022. KEY TAKEAWAYS Things might work for you now or in the past, but that doesn't mean that they will work forever. For example, Sarah used to post on Instagram every day but now that schedule doesn't work for her, and that's okay. Ping has a sketchbook just for fun which she calls ‘play time'. That creativity can carry over into her work and the ideas she comes up with can also make their way into her work sketchbook. Children are obviously the most important thing in your life when you are a parent. That can mean your time for work and creativity is smaller. But you can always find time no matter how busy you are by being organised and planning. A team is all about communication, if that communication is lacking then the project will probably fail. It's never too late to get to know yourself even better and it's never too late to learn about self-love. You can take time off work without having to feel guilty and say no sometimes.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘Goals aren't set in stone. If things change then you can change them' ‘If you make work from your hobby then you will work forever and have no hobby' ‘Work is not the most important thing in your life' ‘If you don't try then you don't know'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Sarah, Ping, and Dorien will be giving you 6 insights that helped them grow as artists that will hopefully help you as well. From feeling guilty about not working every weekday morning to keeping your artistic mind fresh and ready to go when inspiration strikes, the Thriving Women Artists are here to share advice to help one stroke at a time.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Being an artist is a lifestyle. It's a routine and part of your daily life much like exercising. There isn't a moment when you're going to make your big masterpiece from nowhere. It's all the little things that you do on the journey towards your goal that makes your art. You don't need to overthink what you want to make, surprise yourself with what you make in your sketchbook. Being an artist doesn't mean you only need to be doing the one thing you set out to do. Sarah wanted to illustrate children's books but she also found out that she loves teaching as well. You can't be creative from 9 to 5. We don't all have 8 hours of creativity a day in us every day and we also don't all get creative at the same times of day. Be patient and have faith. Your business and portfolio won't be finished in a day, you need to put the time in and remember that it takes time and you don't need to panic over it.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘When you're doing something creative it's not about the outcome' ‘There is no “the moment”, every day is the moment' ‘Why do you work 5 days a week?' ‘There is an audience for every kind of art'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which is better, traditional analogue art or digital art? That's the question Sarah, Ping and Dorien are here to discuss. Find out the advantages and disadvantages of both, which kind of projects suit one over the other, and as always there will be helpful tips from the trio for those who make their art digitally and those who prefer to make it traditionally.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Sarah works traditionally but uses digital tools to make corrections if she gets feedback from the publisher. This is easier because it means she doesn't need to go back to her original artwork and scan it in again. Dorien also likes to work traditionally but uses digital colour correction on her artwork. Some of her projects are completely digital if it is more suited to the type of project or the time constraints. Ping mainly does traditional art using watercolour, this gives her botanical art a more organic feel which adds to the piece. She doesn't think that digital art can replicate this. When speaking to a publisher, you need to make sure they know the way you work. They can often expect changes very quickly but don't realise that those few changes could be a week's work. You can always learn to add digital aspects to your work if you start out traditionally, but if you start as a digital artist, you might not learn the skills that a traditional artist would.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Digitally it's so easy to have a basic colour palette' ‘If you make the right procedure, your art will come out right, no matter if it's digital or traditional' ‘It doesn't matter if you work digitally or traditionally, at the beginning you're just not that fast'   EPISODE RESOURCES   Procreate Explore the Photoshop family of apps   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which is a better way to learn, going to art school or self-teaching? Does one make you a better artist than the other? Is there a right way to learn how to be an artist? These are some of the topics that Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be tackling this week on Thriving Women Artists as they look at the advantages and disadvantages of being self-taught vs going to art school. KEY TAKEAWAYS Art school isn't this one place that you go to and learn everything. Every art school is different and you will learn different things depending on what you study and where. In some places you will learn about the important business side, in others you will not. Being self-taught doesn't mean you've never taken an art class. The art teachers you find at universities will often teach art classes. Good teachers will motivate you. If you are self-taught you have to find that motivation or push for motivation yourself. Being truly self-taught is impossible because we all take inspiration from others and learn from the things they do. Being self-taught can allow you to be more free and creative with your learning. You set the curriculum yourself and it's not set, it can change at any time depending on where you want to take your artwork.  BEST MOMENTS ‘The myth with art school is that if you go then you are an artist' ‘Nobody creates in a vacuum' ‘Art school is not going to give you the drive, you yourself have to give you the drive'   ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be giving you six super useful tips on how you can let go of the things that don't serve you or your art anymore. By getting rid of the things that don't work for you anymore, you have room to bring in something new that might help you grow as an artist and as a person.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The first thing you need to do is acknowledge that there are things that don't serve you anymore and keep you from doing the things that will serve you. You can only let go of something when you know it's there and it doesn't belong anymore. Try something completely new. Experimenting can help you find something new that might work better than what you have been doing before. Even something as simple as changing the size or type of paper you use is worth experimenting with. Have support from people around you and also from yourself. The more people who understand your journey, the better conversations and advice you can get. First, you should be taking care of yourself then you can help and be helped by others. Step back now and then and reflect on what art you have been making. This allows you to see what you like and don't like about the work you've been doing. Go back to your goals and hidden themes and see if you're on track to hit them. Not everything you do should go towards your goal, but your goal can keep you focused on what you want. Focus on the things you enjoy and want to develop. If you do the things you enjoy then you're going in the right direction by default.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘Not everything you do all day has to be going in the right direction, there is room for experimentation' ‘Sometimes we can only notice things when we're distanced from them' ‘The thing that stopped me most was the fear of being judged' ‘Hello thoughts, thank you and goodbye'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   This a serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do I make sure I'm getting paid as an artist and how do I ensure my work isn't used without my permission? These are just some of the questions posed by you the listener to Ping, Sarah, and Dorien which they will be answering on today's Thriving Women Artists podcast. Listen in to find some great advice for artists from three women who have been there and done it. KEY TAKEAWAYS When someone commissions you to do work, within the contract there should be stated the scope of the work. Meaning you have it already set out how your art is agreed to be used and when and where it can be used. Ask to see a final sample before your work is published. Have a section in your contract stating that if the person commissioning you wants to use your work for anything else, they have to negotiate with you for permission. For some kinds of work you will be sent a breakdown of how many products with your art on them have been sold. This is for when you are getting a percentage of the sales. If you're asked to work on a logo you need to remember it's one of the most important things for the company. It's so valuable for them so don't undervalue yourself. Nike bought their logo for $35, and Pepsi's cost millions. What kind of business is employing you to make a logo, you need to know the brand before you start working, the logo is supposed to represent them and their values.    BEST MOMENTS ‘If you're new you might not realise all your options' ‘It's not only the work you put in, but how long your work will be used for' ‘Stay playful'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the podcast Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be answering questions from you the listeners around the topic of children's books. How do you get into it? Do you work with self-published authors or art directors etc? If you've ever wanted to know more about what goes into illustrating a children's book, then this episode of Thriving Women Artists is for you. KEY TAKEAWAYS For Dorien's first commissioned children's book illustration she was contacted by someone through a website she used to showcase her work. She had a little bit of a struggle deciding whether to hand draw or do it digitally, but decided to go digital to improve her skills. Her preference is still analog however. Sarah did a Masters Degree at Cambridge University in Children's Illustration and at the graduation show she was contacted by a publisher which is how she got her first work published. Being an illustrator is not like being an athlete, you don't do your best work in your 20s. You always grow and learn and your best work is usually still ahead of you. The nice thing about having a publisher is that they do literally everything except the illustration, they manage everything. The downside to this is that you'll only be getting a fee or a percentage of the profits. If you self-publish, then there is a lot more work for you but you get to keep more of the money you make. If you'd like some kind of balance between self publishing and working with a publisher, you can outsource parts of the process, for example get a printer who also distributes your book as well or even outsource your marketing.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘If you really want something and work for it and speak it out loud then it can come to you' ‘You never know where your first book will lead you' ‘You can tell one story in so many different ways' ‘Children's books are a fun project, you live in different worlds, it's magical'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inspiration is a good thing, but you can also get lost in it. We've all had that problem of finding a new Instagram page we like and just scrolling and scrolling. This week on Thriving Women Artists, Sarah, Ping, and Dorien will be discussing what to do when inspiration becomes a distraction, and more importantly, when inspiration becomes a limitation. KEY TAKEAWAYS We don't always need more. We find inspiration in the things we like, but the more of the things we like we accumulate, the more clutter you will have and the more money you'll be spending on it.  It's not just about spending money on things, it's being overwhelmed by the other artists we're finding inspiration from. It is different for every artist but having too many influences around you can make you feel like a piece of work is not yours, just a combination of the things you have around you. It's something that every artist will feel differently about.  Social media can be an inspiration when we find other people's creative posts, but it's also a time drain. Dorien likes to set a timer for her social media use so she doesn't spend too much time going down the rabbit hole.  Noise and movement can be distracting, but it can also be inspirational.  If you're finding that some things are becoming too distracting, like social media or art books, try doing something that you can find inspiration in that doesn't have someone else's imagery in it. Go for a walk or listen to some music, something that you can't directly take from.  BEST MOMENTS‘We're people who like to be surrounded by beautiful inspiring objects' ‘Do I need a dark room with nothing in it to be able to concentrate?'‘Seeing something very specific can be the opposite of inspiration, the only thing I can think of is this one thing'ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.www.thrivingwomenartists.comwww.instagram.com/twapodcastABOUT THE HOSTSPing He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.artinfo@pinghe.artwww.instagram.com/pinghe.artSarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.www.sarahvandongen.comsarahvandongenillustration@gmail.comwww.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrationsDorien Bellaar:Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nlhello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's topic came in from one of our lovely listeners who wanted to know why personal art goals are important and how you balance client work with your own personal art goals. Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will do their best to answer these questions as well as give you some great tips on setting your own art goals. KEY TAKEAWAYS In many fields, your personal work and commissioned work will likely be different, but as an artist you should in general be commissioned to do work because of your own personal style. So there might not actually be that much of a difference between your own art and the art you're paid to do. The goal of being an artist is to get paid for making the art you love to make. We don't become artists to follow what someone else wants us to do, it's our own creative expression. So even the client work you do should be an expression of yourself. For Sarah it all starts with your personal art goals. There's no clients and no commission, just personal goals and your own interest in art. It's crucial to have a driving passion to keep you moving through the bad days. If you don't have that then you might find yourself resenting some parts of being an artist and then it becomes like any other job. It's so empowering creating something you love off of your own back without anyone telling you to do it. BEST MOMENTS  ‘You don't know what you don't know' ‘Hopefully this podcast will help you choose to do the things you're passionate about' ‘Most people don't have careers, they have jobs' ‘It's important to start creating from your passions' ‘Keep creating for yourself and not for clients' ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Thriving Women Artists are back from holiday! So naturally the topic of discussion this week is how to continue your projects after a break. Tune in for tips from Sarah, Ping, and Dorien on how they get back not just into the working habit, but the artistic mindset after having a break too.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Reorganising, reconnecting, and reframing are the three things that Ping does when she is coming back to her work after a vacation.  To get back into the creative mindset, why not try something just a little creative rather than just jumping straight back in head first.  When you come back from holiday you can use all of those great things you've been working on in your travel journal to inspire you to start something new.  Try to finish an old project before you go off on vacation, it can be hard to get back into the same mindset you were in before when you were working on the piece. Getting everything finished before you go can be a bit stressful.  Sarah finds it helpful to spend a day when she gets back just doing the things she needs to do like laundry etc instead of just getting straight back into work. It's a little bit of self care.  BEST MOMENTS ‘If I don't have busy hands then I have a busy mind'  ‘You don't want to jump into panic mode'  ‘If there's too much pressure I will not do any good work' ‘Take mini steps and just have fun with it'   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where we live makes up so much of our artistic self, but what happens when we go on vacation? Can we take new inspiration and creativity from those experiences? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be talking about their experiences of finding creativity while on holiday and how it has influenced them.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The new places you visit will inspire you in ways you might not realise. When Ping was in Morocco she was inspired by all the different colours she saw around her. Even the smells and foods can inspire your creations.  For Sarah, she needs structure to be creative, but when she's on holiday she likes to sleep in and not have a plan for her day. It takes up so much space in her mind.  Have a travel journal, it can be used as a less serious version of your sketchbook for when you're on holiday.  You can even find new ways of being creative by getting yourself some new art supplies on holiday and using them, something different to what you usually use.  Have fun with it, you're not going to make a masterpiece on your trip. You deserve a good holiday so don't work too much, just use your art to play around with new things in new surroundings.  BEST MOMENTS ‘It's inspiring being in a different environment and meeting different people'  ‘We all deserve breaks but there's part of my mind that wants to be productive'  ‘It feels great to be an observer'  ‘I'm always amazed what 5 or 10 minutes can do' ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody is at a different stage in their art career, even if you haven't started yet or have been doing it for years, there is a next step you can take. But how do we know when it's the right time to take that leap forward? This week the Thriving Women Artists Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be telling you all about when they took steps in their careers, what steps they were, and why they took them when they did.  KEY TAKEAWAYS There always is a right moment to take the next step, we don't always know when that is. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and sometimes you'll see the clear path ahead of you. Maybe it's not a case of you taking the step but someone else doing it for you, for example if you've left your job and now is the perfect time.  When you start making art you have all the time to create, but when that becomes your source of income you add all these other things you have to do on top of that. Think about if you have the time to do the business side before you take that step. The next step for you might be taking on your first commissioned work, deciding to open an Etsy store, teaching your first class, or even just committing to regularly posting your work to Instagram for other people to see.  One of Dorien's latest steps was deciding to collaborate more, she started teaching some classes and even this podcast is a step on her collaborative journey.  Knowing what your ultimate goal is can help you decide which steps you need to take next and how quickly or slowly you need to take them. Ping wants to be the number one in Europe for botanical postcards, so each step she takes is towards that goal.  Taking steps isn't just taking them for yourself, you can take steps to help other people too. Ping took a side step from her postcard goal to start this podcast and share her experience with others cna create a community.  BEST MOMENTS ‘Never say never'  ‘If she trusts me to do it, then I think I can do it'  ‘You need to have goals or else it's like being blindfolded'  ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all forget to take a break sometimes, we think we're too busy or don't have the time to stop. This week on the Thriving Women Artists podcast, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be reminding you why you need to take a break every now and then and what the benefits of that can be. Listen in for personal tips from three women with different experiences when it comes to choosing or being forced to take a break.  KEY TAKEAWAYS It's Dorien's inner critic that in the past has stopped her from taking breaks. Ping considered taking a break from work as selfcare. You don't need to burn out to take a break. Sarah takes breaks to stop her from getting overwhelmed.  There can be such a focus on productivity that it stops us from taking breaks, but taking a break is part of the creative process. If you're only focused on doing the work then you won't have time for all the things mentioned in our episode on creativity.  Taking a break can give you perspective, it can be a reflective time for you to think about your work and if you're happy with the direction it's going in.  It's not just work you should take a break from. Social media can be a big distraction and we all get addicted to getting likes and follows. Ping's advice is to take time off of it to reconnect with your life. When you do use it, go for quality over quantity. If you don't know yourself then you won't know what kind of breaks you need. Try lots of different types of breaks, from 5 minutes to taking a whole week to yourself. Do you need time to yourself or do you need to do another creative project? What do you need right now? BEST MOMENTS ‘A lot of people feel like they need to be producing something to be doing something'  ‘You don't want to get burned out' ‘Reconnect with yourself and with your life'  ‘You don't need to apologise that you need to go away for a while' ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we have excuses? When you really think about it, the excuse is usually there before we even start working, there is no real reason we shouldn't do it, we just don't want to. Excuses are the topic of conversation this week on Thriving Women Artists. Join Ping, Sarah, and Dorien as they discuss why they make excuses and how you can get rid of them to focus on your work. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the biggest reasons for making excuses is anxiety. We don't want to start something because if we start it then there's a chance we might fail. Envisioning what she wants to get done beforehand helps Ping overcome making excuses for not working. When you know your excuses are just trying to stop you working because you might fail or be overwhelmed, you should challenge those thoughts, remember that even if it's not perfect, it's part of the process and you have learned something. Procrastination is just one form of making excuses. Making excuses for too long can make you angry and frustrated and that just ends up being counterproductive. It's good to speak out loud about your goals. Having other people who know what you need to be doing makes you accountable. BEST MOMENTS ‘The project starts way before the artwork' ‘The only way to get better is by doing it' ‘You need to have accountability' ‘Accountability to myself is the most important' ABOUT THE PODCAST A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all practised and practised for what we think could be coming in our artistic careers, but what if something comes up that you've never done before? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be giving you helpful tips on how you can start a new project that you've never done before and they'll also be sharing their own individual experiences.    KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the most important things you need to ask yourself before taking on a project is ‘do I feel excited to get this project started'. You also need to know if you want to focus your time on this specific thing you've not done before, will it help your career? Getting a new project is a mixture of excitement that someone wants to hire you and being a little afraid of doing something new, it relates back to stepping out of your comfort zone which we have an episode on already.  If you're doing a new project ask yourself, ‘why me and why now'?. Are they asking because they believe in you or think it's something you can do, or do they want you to do it because you're cheap or just because they know you.  Do you currently have the resources to do the project now? And if you don't, are you going out and buying materials that you'll never use again? Is it an investment that will help you now or in the future?  When working on a new type of project, always be honest with the client that you've not done this kind of thing before.  Having a positive mindset is very important when working in unknown territories. Being positive and having a vision and not focusing on the negatives will help you achieve your goals for the project.  BEST MOMENTS ‘A new project can often take more time'  ‘Sometimes you make the wrong decision but you learn a lot'  ‘It sounds very new and scary but you already have a lot of skills'  ‘When you believe in yourself, you will deliver it'    ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creativity and productivity are both good things you need as an artist, but they need to be in balance. You don't want to be spending too much time being creative, because you'll never get any other work done. And if you're spending all your time being productive, your art will lack that creative flare. Join Ping, Sarah, and Dorien as they discuss how they balance creativity and productivity.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Striking the right balance between creativity and productivity doesn't mean making it 50/50. We all have our own ways of working and own needs.  Creativity has no purpose, it's pure play and experimentation. Trying to make something perfect is not being creative.  Ping uses a funnel to bring her creativity to a place where it becomes productive. It's not completely free creativity, but creativity in her own style of work that she can then use to make postcards.  If you're only concentrated on how many sales you will make and how many clients you have, it will eventually kill your creativity.  You can get yourself into a creative space while being productive in a real life sense. You can allow your mind to wonder while you're doing the dishes or having a shower or even getting your exercise in. Your body is being productive but because it's something we do all the time it allows our brains to be creative.  When you're being productive you have a set goal and you know what you're going to do and how you're going to do it.  BEST MOMENTS ‘Creativity can be very personal and you don't have to share it'  ‘There is creativity in routines'  ‘Creativity is about connecting different ideas to a meaningful something'  ‘Productivity is measurable, creativity is not'    ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all feel overwhelmed sometimes, whether it's about deadlines or the volume of work we have to get done. This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien tackle the topic of what to do when you're feeling overwhelmed. Listen in to find out their advice for you as an artist and what top tips they have from their personal lives to help you beat feeling overwhelmed.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   The first thing to do when you're feeling overwhelmed. Take a break. You don't need to have a deadline to feel overwhelmed by work. Feeling overwhelmed has a lot to do with your state of mind. Your thoughts are something that you can change yourself for the better with the right mindset. When the thing you're overwhelmed about is illustration, then talk to another illustrator. Find a supporter you can trust who has gone through the same thing as you. When you have a lot of projects on the go, you need to prioritise your tasks so you know you're getting the most important and time sensitive ones done first. By looking at other peoples work, you will overwhelm yourself. Concentrate on your own and ignore what other people are doing.   BEST MOMENTS   ‘You need a bit of distance from it sometimes' ‘Starting something can feel overwhelming' ‘You can't take yourself out of it alone, you need to talk to someone' ‘It's not just the project that overwhelms you, you have other stuff to do too'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The comfort zone is a mental space you go to where you are safe, at ease, anxiety neutral, and usually without a sense of risk. So what does this have to do with being an artist? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will discuss when you need to leave your comfort zone, how they can go in cycles, and their own unique tips and experience on growth.    KEY TAKEAWAYS In certain moments you need to be in a comfort zone to do repetitive work when you need to, but if you're not taking risks then you are limiting yourself as an artist.  It can be scary to go out of your comfort zone, we feel this way in all walks of life not just in art. It can be tied to fear, rejection, and confidence.  You can go into a cycle, going in and out of comfort zones when those things you once found scary become comfortable. Then you go onto the next new scary thing. Comfort zones are personal to each individual, we all have different areas where we don't feel as confident or feel scared.  When Sarah filmed her Domestika course she was in a country where she didn't speak the language, doing something she's never done before, feeling overwhelmed by what she had to do. At the time she thought it was too far out of her comfort zone. But Sarah got through it and feels like she's grown a lot from the experience.  Chasing something too far away can make you retreat to your comfort zone. Remember to test yourself but don't take that huge step all at once. It stops being the growing edge at that point. Take a step out of your comfort zone, but make sure it's the right size step for you.    BEST MOMENTS ‘The comfort zone is a very risk averse place'  ‘Then you can go step by step to the growth zone'  ‘It's important to be kind to yourself' ‘We face the challenge and earn a lot of skills along the way' ‘I did survive….. And thrive'    EPISODE RESOURCES  Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic Helen Stephens   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're starting out as an artist, you're going to get people asking you to do work for free for “exposure”. But is that the right thing to do? How do you know if working for free will actually help you in the long run, or if someone is just taking advantage of you? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will help you navigate those tricky questions and make sure you know when you should be getting paid for your time.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Ping, Sarah, and Dorien are working for free on this podcast, but see it as investing. Investing their knowledge in you and in themselves. There may be a time when they can make money from it, but right now it's something designed to help you.  It feels like a catch 22 situation sometimes. You feel you need to be published already for other publishers to actually publish you.   It can be a little awkward doing work for free for friends and family. We want to help them out but when they come to you with feedback it can be so frustrating and leave a sour taste.  If someone does want you to do work for free, it's worthwhile getting a contract anyway. Make sure you're getting what you need out of it, for example have it in writing where your art will appear and how many times. That way you know what the gain will be from your time.  Your enjoyment and desire to work on your art can diminish quicker if you're not getting any reward for your time.  If you are doing some work for someone for free, you need to make sure they know the value of the work you're doing. For example you can send them an invoice with the regular price displayed but with a 100% discount applied.  BEST MOMENTS ‘Exposure is not going to pay your bills'  ‘It's that she doesn't value my time, it's disrespectful I think'  ‘As a creative it is important that you invest'  ‘You have the power to say yes and say no'   EPISODE RESOURCES  Article on Julia Child Julia Child - “Julia” on HBO max  https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/julia-child-hbo-cast-the-french-chef-obama-netflix-our-great-national- parkshttps://juliachildfoundation.org/   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We expect to improve our art every time we pick up a pencil, but sometimes we don't feel like we're improving at all. That's not something felt by just you, we all feel like that from time to time. It can be frustrating and demotivating, but don't worry because Sarah, Ping, and Dorien are here to give you some handy tips on how to get over this feeling.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Ping had a student at one of her classes who came week after week and wasn't improving. Ping worked with her to find out why and it turns out she needed the right materials, time, and patience to improve. Ping asked her to just focus on one petal and that helped her focus on the details.  Don't forget to have fun, it's your job because you enjoy doing it. Think about the journey not the result. Take your time and have fun, give yourself space to grow.  Good courses will give you the tools and perspective you need to improve your skills.  You'll learn more by making seven bad paintings and reflecting on them, rather than forcing yourself to do one piece you don't want to do.  You can take a break from working on something when you're feeling frustrated by it.  Remember that the most meaningful accomplishments in our lives happen slowly.  BEST MOMENTS ‘Practice, experiment, take your time' ‘Don't get fixated on improving too much, just embrace the process and have fun'  ‘If you don't enjoy what you do you'll be less productive'  ‘Dare to make ugly work'   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode was inspired by Sarah, who has a very big problem when it comes to organising her digital files. Keeping organised as an artist can make things much easier for you while you're working. The Thriving Women Artists, Sarah, Ping, and Dorien are here to give you some really great organisation tips to save you time and effort.    KEY TAKEAWAYS There are lots of things you should be keeping organised as an artist, your digital files, your physical work, your workspace, and something that's often overlooked, your mind.  You should have a backup drive on your computer to store both your digital art files and anything related to your business.  When working in a team, like with this podcast, if you organise it can stop confusion over who is doing what work or what work has been done already. Organisation is vital for communication and teamwork.  Declutter! Buy at least 3 of your favourite art supplies. If you can't find the colour you need, then that will stop you from working, but if you have more than one, then you always have one to hand.  There are lots of apps you can use to remind you of something important or urgent. You can even use a sticky note.    BEST MOMENTS ‘Make a clear division what is essential to store'  ‘I started to add the RGB or CMYK in the file name'  ‘Everything has to be in one place, my studio'   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all agree that disappointments are part of life, so they are a part of your artistic career too. Disappointments will happen, that's part of the journey and there is so much to learn from them. This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah and Dorien will be discussing tips on how you can not let disappointment get the better of you and how you can turn everything into a learning moment.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Disappointment can feel like a very personal thing. You should be aware that we often have high expectations and sometimes we need to separate our work from ourselves. It shouldn't be personal, maybe that project wasn't right for you, not that you're a bad artist.  You have to manage your expectations and be realistic. If you only put in a little bit of time then you can't expect a huge outcome. If you really want something then you need to put in the time and do your best.  After a disappointment, do you want to adapt, adjust, or move on? Ping used the disappointment of getting the feedback from a client that her flower art didn't sell well in the winter time. She decided to adjust and created a different theme that was actually better for her and her client.  Don't be afraid of disappointment, if you're too afraid to make the first step, then you'll always be stuck where you are. Even if the step isn't what you had hoped for, at least you have taken it.  BEST MOMENTS ‘One thing successful people have in common is that they don't quit'  ‘Success is not a purpose'  ‘I didn't put in the hours because I was afraid to be disappointed in myself'  ‘It's a growth mindset, you can flip your outcome like a coin'    ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your artistic theme is often hidden from you and you have to reflect to discover what is hidden in your work. This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah and Dorien will be talking about their hidden themes in their art, how you can find your hidden themes, and how you can use that information to discover even more about yourself.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Sometimes you're not even aware that you have a theme when you've only just started making art. It's usually when you look back that you see it.  It's important to explore and let your theme shine through without pressure. Working to a strict brief can be too restrictive and you won't discover anything about your theme.  Doing prompts can help you find your theme by being creative.  The more you know yourself the more you will know your hidden theme. The reverse is also true, the more you know the hidden theme the more you know yourself.  Go back to the things you enjoy and start translating those things or the feelings they evoke into your work.  You're never finished with your hidden theme and it's not just one theme, BEST MOMENTS ‘It's not an accident, it's your heart and soul speaking'  ‘All our work is rooted in our experiences'  ‘You know yourself which work you are really proud of'    ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you find that your products just sit in your Etsy store and you don't get many sales? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien are giving you their top tips for becoming better at selling your art. Find out what you'll need to start selling, how you can build and improve relationships, Pings 20/80 rule, the importance of marketing yourself, and setting your sales goals.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Being successful when it comes to selling depends on what your goals are. Some people might want to sell 50 things a week and some might only need to sell 3 or 4.  You can only get to your goal if you put in the time and effort. You only get out what you put in.  Ping doesn't give herself a plan B, plan A is the only one and she will make it work.  If you want to sell things from your Etsy store, then you should actively be marketing it and promoting your products, not just waiting for sales.  Remember that you will need the space and time to run your online selling business.  The price you can sell to shops varies depending on their own costs.  A good rule of thumb when it comes to selling is that 20% of your products get you 80% of your revenue. And 20% of your customers give you 80% of your sales.  Make sure your website is as customer friendly as possible. They should be able to find what they're looking for in as few clicks as possible. If you have a bad website experience, you will lose business.  Personal connections are so important when selling. People invest in us as people first, before they invest in our products. Remember people's names, be personable, do the little things that will improve relationships.  You can start small but if you want to grow you will need to invest.    BEST MOMENTS ‘In order to sell better you need to look at what resources you have'  ‘You have this product, it feels so special'  ‘Every time we send out an email, 10 orders come in' ‘Selling is an established relationship'   EPISODE RESOURCES  The Lean Startup - http://theleanstartup.com/   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is promoting yourself important? That is the question Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be discussing this week on Thriving Women Artists. Find out how to promote yourself, why you need to do it, and some top tips that will help you on your artistic journey.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   You can feel different levels of fear depending who you're promoting yourself to. Fear is actually a good thing, because it means you know it's important and care about what the person thinks. No matter how far you are in your artistic journey, you will have to promote yourself and will likely feel some kind of fear or anxiety about doing so. Promotion is important because if you want to make a career of art, people need to know who you are, what you do, and why you do it. If you aren't your own cheerleader, why should someone else be? Your social media is a form of promotion, as well as when you're networking too, that is also self promotion. Recognise that your fear is there and take steps to overcome it. Separate yourself from your artwork, you are not your art, it's a product and it's for sale. You have to be able to detach yourself from it. There's always a bigger stage you can move on to once you have faced the fear and conquered it.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘You need to increase the value of your career to the people who make the decisions' ‘In order to have a sustainable career you need to manage yourself as an art business' ‘You need to show up for your art' ‘Your personality should shine through your art' ‘Treat yourself like your best friend would'   ABOUT THE PODCAST   A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast    ABOUT THE HOSTS   Ping He Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creativity is one of the most important things for an artist, but when you're feeling a lack of creativity, what can you do to change that? This week on Thriving Women Artists, Ping, Sarah and Dorien will be sharing 12 tips for instant creativity. Find the tips in the show notes below and listen in to hear why these tips will help you find that inspiration you need.    12 Creative Tips Try something new. Collect inspirational pictures and things and make an inspirational file for yourself. Listen to a podcast.  Read or flip through a book.  Make your own journal.  Write yourself a nice encouraging or inspirational note and stick it somewhere.  Make a mess and explore it. Find hidden treasures in your imperfection.  Listen to some nice music.  Connect with nature. Open up your eyes for the beauty in nature. Meditate.  Change your environment.  Learn or start learning something new.    BEST MOMENTS ‘If something resonates with you, do it! Immediately!'  ‘I can do this and I want to do this'  ‘Be kind, work hard, and good things will come to you'   EPISODE RESOURCES Van Beek art supplies Evernote   ABOUT THE PODCAST  A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people. www.thrivingwomenartists.com www.instagram.com/twapodcast   ABOUT THE HOSTS Ping He  Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.  www.pinghe.art info@pinghe.art www.instagram.com/pinghe.art   Sarah van Dongen  Sarah is a children's book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life. www.sarahvandongen.com sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations   Dorien Bellaar: Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.  www.dorienbellaar.nl hello@dorienbellaar.nl  www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.