The Create! Podcast

Ten years ago, I took the leap into full-time creative entrepreneurship with no roadmap, no guarantee, and a lot of hope. This episode is my honest look back at what actually got me here, and it is not a highlight reel.
I recently had the honor of spending two days at Michigan State University as a guest lecturer and juror for the undergraduate senior show. The organizers asked me to speak about failure, not success. That invitation sent me into a real reflection on the moments that broke me open and ultimately built everything I have today.
In this episode I share what I wish I had known at 27, including why I stayed too long in projects that had expired, how learning to quit strategically changed everything, why your non-negotiables have to come before your goals, how I learned to stop shrinking under criticism without losing my empathy, the difference between goals that are truly yours versus ones you inherited from someone else's definition of success, and why every significant thing I have built grew directly out of a previous failure.
I also talk about losing our first book deal, a solo show that nearly got canceled, the shadow side of stubbornness, and why knowing what hill you are willing to die on matters more than any strategy.
This one is personal. It is also practical. I hope it meets you exactly where you are.
Did this resonate? Let's chat! Tag me over at @katerinaspopova on IG
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In this episode, Kat welcomes Marina Granger back for another installment of their ongoing series. They dive deep into the nuances of identity, confidence, and a unique manifestation practice Marina has utilized since she was twelve. Whether you are transitioning into a new career phase or simply feeling a dip in your creative self assurance, this conversation offers a quick, actionable ritual to realign with your highest potential.
Episode Highlights
Identity and Visual Recognition: Marina shares how a recent change in hair color triggered a shift in her confidence because she did not recognize herself in her self referential system.
The Power of Upgrading: The conversation explores how our identities grow through the many seasons of life and why it is vital to upgrade your self image as you evolve.
Overcoming Paralysis: Marina shares a success story about a client who was paralyzed by doubt but managed to finalize exhibition dates and a press release within 45 minutes of using this technique.
Practical Joy: The duo discusses upgrading your everyday experience through small details, like using fancy Italian toothpaste, to create a domino effect of success.
The Mirror Technique: A Step-by-Step Guide
Marina describes this as the "lazy girl manifesting technique" because it is fast, powerful, and only needs to be done every few years to keep you going.
Wisdom for the Creative Journey
Marina encourages artists to embrace failure, noting that the more you fail, the more you succeed. For those feeling overwhelmed by the opinions of the industry, she suggests focusing on how you want to feel and taking small daily actions that reflect your desired identity.
Resources and Links
The Artist Advisory: Discover more mindset and career resources at theartistadvisory.com.
The MFA Podcast: Tune in for real life advice on building a sustainable art career.
The Artist Academy: Join Marina's career course for practical and "mystical" tactical training.
Call for Art: Explore current opportunities to share your work at createmagazine.co/call-for-art.
Courses: Start learning now at www.createu.co
Connect on Instagram: Follow Marina at @theartistadvisory.

So much of what we hear right now is about what is changing, what is closing, what is shifting. In this solo episode, Ekaterina Popova cuts through the noise to focus on what has remained true across every platform, every trend cycle, and every era of the art world: the core principles of getting paid for doing what you love.
Kat takes us back to her teenage years, painting prom backdrops and dance team sets for a hundred dollars at a time, with no connections, no following, and a kind of blissful confidence that the work would find its people. That early experience shaped a belief system that carried her through years of building a creative business, and she traces exactly where that belief started to crack, what planted it back, and what she wishes she had known sooner.
In this episode, Kat shares how her earliest art sales happened long before social media existed, why the doubt she absorbed in art school was some of the most expensive she ever entertained, what the relationship with your own work has to do with whether it ever sells, and how she hired a coach this week with nothing more than an Instagram DM and a clear sense of what she needed.
This one is for the artist who keeps waiting for the right moment, the bigger audience, or the better strategy. The strategy, it turns out, has been the same all along.
Work with Kat: https://espopova.com/home
Connect with Kat at [email protected] and follow along at @createmagazine on Instagram.
Submit to our current call for art: https://www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art

What does it actually take to make art and make a living at the same time? This week, Ekaterina Popova sits down with Mason Currey, author of the beloved Daily Rituals series and his brand new book, Making Art and Making a Living (Celadon Books), a rich, research-driven look at how artists across centuries have funded their creative lives.
From day jobs and patrons to inheritances, government grants, and a few schemes that fall into grayer territory, Mason has compiled the stories so many of us have needed to hear. In this conversation, he and Kat explore why community matters more than most creatives realize, how constraints can actually be an artist's greatest asset, and the practical power of reverse engineering the career you actually want.
If you have ever asked yourself whether you are doing this whole creative life thing right, this episode is your answer. Spoiler: you are in very good company.
In this episode:
Why community and creative scenes have always mattered more than solo genius
How Mason's entire career grew from a blog post he wrote while procrastinating
The surprising truth about artists who got everything they wanted, and still couldn't work
Baudelaire, Whistler, and what history's most dramatic artistic money struggles can teach us about our own
How to reverse engineer the career you want by studying the people who have it
Why constraints, including financial ones, are often where the best work comes from
The power of doing something, even a small, imperfect, DIY version of your vision
Links and resources mentioned:
Making Art and Making a Living by Mason Currey: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250824523/makingartandmakingaliving/
Mason Currey's website and newsletter (Subtle Maneuvers): masonwcurrey.com
Best American Essays series (mentioned by Mason as a career research tool)
Work with Kat + explore Create! Magazine:
Create! Magazine celebrates working artists through features, interviews, and juried open calls. Submit your work, explore available articles, and join the community at createmagazine.co.
Ready to grow your art career with step-by-step guidance? Explore micro courses on marketing, sales, visibility, and more at www.createu.co
Visit www.createmagazine.co and click Programs to learn more.
Private mentorship and coaching with certified master coach, Ekaterina Popova https://espopova.com

If you have been going through a funk, whether it is burnout, a creative slump, seasonal blues, or just feeling stuck, this episode is for you. Kat gets real about the challenges she faced this past winter, including some big personal changes, and shares the honest unglamorous things that helped her climb back out: taking care of her body, dropping what was not serving her, shifting her mindset around showing up, and finding people who cheer her on too.
No toxic positivity here, just real talk and practical perspective for anyone ready to get back on track.
Ready to stop navigating this alone? Kat works with working artists and creative entrepreneurs through private coaching at espopova.com. If you are ready to get back on track with someone genuinely in your corner, learn more and book a session at www.espopova.com.