Savvy Painter Podcast with Antrese Wood

If self-doubt shows up every time you try to paint (or finish something) and you’re tired of trying to think your way out of it, this episode is for you. Artist and tapping coach Melanie Fay explains how tapping for artists works, why your nervous system might be the real obstacle in the studio, and how to use this simple, science-backed tool to move through creative blocks and actually make things again.
Whether you’ve heard of EFT (emotional freedom technique) or not, this conversation breaks down why it’s showing up more and more in artist communities—and how you can use it right away, even if you feel silly doing it.
You walk into the studio and your chest tightens. Or you finish something and immediately start picking it apart. Or that mean voice shows up the second you pick up a brush, whispering that you don’t belong here.
Sometimes the biggest block isn’t time or skill—it’s your nervous system treating creativity like a threat.
This conversation with tapping coach and artist Melanie Fay gets into what that actually looks like—and what you can do about it.
In this episode:
How Melanie discovered that art was the doorway to feeling herself as a being instead of machinery (and the specific moment time stopped in her high school studio)
What tapping actually is—the mechanics of how tapping on acupressure points sends a calming signal to your amygdala and why that matters when you're stuck
The painting teacher who took viridian green and painted over Melanie's work the night before a show
Why "I'm not good enough" shows up when you're staring at an unfinished painting, and how to trace that thought back to its actual source
The demonstration: where the tapping points are and what happens in your body when you use them (even if you feel ridiculous doing it)
How to use EFT for creativity—in your studio, before a show, or when that courtroom voice starts up
BONUS: Antrese and Melanie are offering monthly group tapping sessions specifically for artists—fourth Wednesday of every month at 2:30 PM Eastern. 
👉 Join the tapping group here
Plus you'll find a free demonstration video you can use anytime you need to shift your inner state here.
Support the show
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️

If you’re feeling even a tiny bit of pressure to have this new year figured out already, I just want you to know you’re not alone.
This episode is a gentle pause before you decide what you’re aiming for. It’s about listening to your own voice first. Really listening. Especially to the quieter parts of you that tend to get rushed or talked over.
Once you get aligned with that voice, then it's time to set some goals (or intentions if you're not a goal person). Goals are helpful and I'm all for it, but let's just make sure they're the right goals for you and where you're at.
In this episode I share how I’m approaching this year, why goals sometimes start to feel heavy, and a simple question I asked my Growth Studio community that opened up way more than I expected.
You don’t need all the answers yet. You just need a little room to hear yourself so that you can start. 
Episode Highlights
00:00 — That weird January pressure
You know the feeling. Everyone’s in a hurry and you’re not sure what you’re hurrying toward yet.
04:05 — The voice that keeps getting interrupted
Not the loud obnoxious ones. The quieter “eh… I don’t know about this” that usually gets ignored.
08:40 — When goals start feeling heavy
This is where things get tricky (it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong).
13:25 — A quick gut-check before you commit to anything
Something simple I use to tell if I’m stretching myself… or setting myself up to shut down.
18:35 — The permission question I can’t stop thinking about
It has nothing to do with adding more — and it might change how you approach this year.
Support the show
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️

As artists, we go through several phases on our way to creating pieces. It all starts with this period of play and discovery that I call the exploratory phase, and to talk about it with me are Growth Studio members Sabrina Setaro, Alyssa Marquez, and Jess Fredrick.
In this roundtable episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll go on a deep dive into the first stage of artistic creation: the exploratory phase. Sabrina, Alyssa, Jess, and I will discuss what happens in this stage and what they’ve discovered about their work in the process, techniques to balance play with purpose during your exploration, how they avoid overwhelm and overthinking during this discovery phase, and more!
Support the show
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️

Money and pricing your art can feel like tricky, even uncomfortable topics, but they’re also some of the most powerful conversations we can have as artists. Why? Because our beliefs about money and pricing often run deep and show up in ways we don’t even realize. They influence how we value our art, how we show up for it, and ultimately, how we create a practice that truly supports and sustains us.
In this final roundtable episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, I’m joined by Growth Studiomembers Merrie Koehlert, Leslie Cannon, and Beverly Woodhall. We dig into how your thoughts about money and pricing impact your relationship with your art, and we get real about the hidden mindset blocks that can hold you back. Whether it’s pricing your work with confidence, valuing your time, or shifting your money beliefs, this conversation is filled with insights to help you move forward and thrive as an artist
1:23 - Quick self-introductions for Merrie, Leslie, and Beverly as artists
2:56 - Assumptions about money as it relates to art that the roundtable have had or heard from others
8:44 - How your subconscious programming can impact the lens through which you see your art
14:04 - Critical junction points in Merrie’s life that reinforced her negative assumptions about selling art
18:40 - How Leslie, Merrie, and Beverly view pricing their artwork and how their thoughts about pricing have changed
31:09 - Getting around the drama in your head so you can learn to get comfortable with your pricing 
34:55 - How each participant has internalized what “the value of the painting” means to them
43:25 - The value to the art collector and why buying a piece of art because it matches other room decor shouldn’t be considered an insult
50:12 - Painting pieces you know people buy when you need to make more money versus painting what you really want and not selling as frequently
57:11 - Thoughts around money or pricing that the participants now notice that they were oblivious to before and how Growth Studio has helped 
Support the show
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️

Welcome to another roundtable series! This time I’m joined by Growth Studio members Louisa Jornayvaz, Braighlee Rainey, Jack Wray, and Elisabeth Svendby in a discussion about finding your voice as an artist.
In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about what it means to find your voice and ways you can connect with it. You’ll also get personal insights into how the participants’ have connected with their voice and how it brings meaning into their artistic practice.
1:37 - Braighlee, Louisa, Elisabeth, and Jack quickly introduce themselves
3:27 - How they define what the artist's voice means to them
8:46 - How to know when you’re connected to your voice
11:00 - How your background can impact your art and the journey of finding your voice
19:52 - How each roundtable participant has progressed in finding their voice
26:35 - Why this journey isn’t straightforward and how it can evolve as you continue to walk the path
33:59 - Advice if you’re really not sure where to look to help you discover your artistic voice
42:27 - The connection between finding your voice as an artist and meditation and green lights
46:46 - The importance of imperfection and challenge in bringing character and resonance to art
50:10 - The impact of being taught in curiosity and sensitivity conditioning
54:59 - What the roundtable participants learned within Growth Studio to help them find or connect with their voices 
Mentioned in How Artists Find Their Voice and Create from the Heart
Join Growth Studio
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Support the show
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️