The Artist Conversations You Actually Need
Free community calls every Tuesday for artists tired of pretending everything's fine
I started these weekly community calls because I was tired of art world conversations that felt like performance. You know the ones—where everyone's pretending everything is going great, sharing only their wins, avoiding the messy reality of actually trying to make a living as an artist.
These calls are different. We talk about the stuff that matters.
Tomorrow: Burnout and Staying Close to Home
Tuesday, 11am PST - Free community call
Ever feel like you're supposed to be at every opening, following every opportunity, networking constantly? Me too. And I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Tomorrow we're diving into the art of staying local. Finding your people around the corner instead of chasing the whole LA art scene. Building creative community that doesn't require driving at night or spending money you don't have.
Because sometimes the person who becomes your best collector lives down the street. Sometimes the most meaningful art conversations happen in your neighbor's living room. Sometimes your HOA meeting room is more valuable than that gallery in West Hollywood.
We're talking about creative burnout, the FOMO trap, and why sustainable art practice might mean saying no to more things than you say yes to.
What We Talked About Last Week
Our conversations go wherever they need to go, but last week we wrestled with some big questions:
Gallery relationships: When is it too aggressive to ask for what you want? How do you follow up without being pushy? (Spoiler: most of us are way less aggressive than we think we are.)
The submission fee debate: One artist's friend was horrified that she pays to submit to galleries. Others defended it as the current reality. We dug into when it's worth it and when it's not.
The "vanity show" that sold 55 pieces: Someone shared her experience doing a solo show that she initially called "vanity." She set accessible prices (top was $350), brought art to people who had never owned original work before, and called it the best artistic experience of her life. We need to stop apologizing for celebrating our own work.
Technology making everything harder: Canva blocking videos for no reason. Wix getting more complicated. All of us just trying to figure out how to make this art thing work without getting buried in tech problems.
Why These Conversations Matter
The art world can be isolating. We're all in our studios, wondering if we're doing this right, comparing ourselves to what we see on Instagram, feeling like we should be doing more, better, faster.
These calls are for artists who want real conversations about the messy, complicated, sometimes frustrating reality of making and showing work. No fluff. No "follow your dreams" nonsense. Just honest talk with people who get it.
We cover everything: asking for what you want, pricing work, dealing with rejection, building relationships, managing overwhelm, finding joy in the process. The stuff they don't teach you in art school.
Join Us
Every Tuesday, 11am PST
Free and always will be
Sign up: https://www.shoeboxarts.com/communityconversations
Come as you are. Bring your questions. Your frustrations. Your small wins. Your big failures.
Leave with something useful. And the reminder that you're not alone in this.
The artist life doesn't have to be a solo journey. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your work is connect with other people who understand why you do it.
See you tomorrow.
P.S. If you can't make it live, we record everything and send summaries to the community. But the real magic happens in the live conversation—the tangents, the "me too" moments, the practical advice that comes from actually talking through problems together.
