Good is the Enemy of Great: Escaping the Trap of Quick Validation & "The Short-Term Giggle"
Release Date: 01/11/2026
Artist. Curator. Founder. How Indira Cesarine of The Untitled Space in NYC Built a Creative Career That Does Not Fit in a Box
The Create! Podcast
Indira Cesarine is an artist, curator, and the founder of The Untitled Space, one of New York City's most vital independent galleries. She has built a practice that refuses to be contained by a single role, and this conversation is a behind-the-scenes look at how she does it. We sat down to talk about her current exhibition "In Full Bloom," a group show featuring 34 women artists working with floral and botanical imagery as a vehicle for transformation, identity, and power. But we went much further than the show itself. Indira shares what it took to open and sustain an independent gallery...
info_outline
Art for Everyone: Collecting, Connecting with Buyers, and Building a Career from Anywhere with Liz Lidgett
The Create! Podcast
Ekaterina Popova sits down with Liz Lidgett, gallery owner, art advisor, and author of the newly released book "Art for Everyone: How to Collect Art and Personalize Your Space on Any Budget." Liz has built a thriving gallery and design practice in Des Moines, Iowa, and has spent her career making the art world feel welcoming, joyful, and genuinely accessible to collectors at every level. In this conversation, they explore the business side of building a sustainable art career, including how artists can better connect with collectors by focusing on home-ready presentation and offering varied...
info_outline
Protecting Art Spaces: Leadership and Fundraising with Amy Cavanaugh Royce
The Create! Podcast
In this episode of the Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova sits down with Amy Cavanaugh Royce, the Executive Director of Maryland Art Place (MAP). Amy shares her journey from a professional touring cellist and recording artist to a leader in arts administration, providing a candid look at the resilience required to sustain a major contemporary arts hub. The conversation explores the intersection of creative empathy and executive leadership, emphasizing why protecting physical space is vital for the health of a city’s creative economy. Episode Highlights The Evolution of a...
info_outline
10 Years In: The Failures That Built My Creative Business
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...
info_outline
This Super Simple Confidence Hack for Artists with Marina Granger
The Create! Podcast
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...
info_outline
The Timeless Principles of Getting Paid for Your Art (Still Relevant in 2026)
The Create! Podcast
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...
info_outline
The Secret Financial Lives of History's Most Famous Artists (Yes, Including the Illegal Stuff), with Mason Currey
The Create! Podcast
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...
info_outline
How to Climb Out of a Funk and Get Your Passion Back
The Create! Podcast
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?...
info_outline
You Don't Have to Choose Between Making Art and Building a Career. James Miille Proves It.
The Create! Podcast
You Don't Have to Choose Between Making Art and Building a Career. James Miille Proves It. Photographic artist James Miille has shown work in New York, Paris, Miami, and Mexico City, built two companies, and never stopped making the art that started it all. In this episode he pulls back the curtain on how he actually does it. James creates surreal composite photographs entirely from scratch, every element shot by him, every image sparked by a song. He breaks down his creative process, why documenting your work is now more important than ever, and how he thinks about the business of being an...
info_outline
The Gap Between Where You Are and Where You Want to Be Is Not a Problem with Kat
The Create! Podcast
You invest in a mentor, a course, or a new skill, and instead of feeling excited, you feel exposed. You see the artist you admire and wonder if you will ever get there. Your ego wants you to quit before you even start. Sound familiar? This week Ekaterina gets honest about her own experience of evolving, trying new things in the studio, shifting her art, and the vulnerability, self-doubt, and resistance that showed up right alongside it. She turns that moment into the most important conversation you can have as a creative or entrepreneur: what to do with the gap between where you are today and...
info_outlineWelcome back to a brand new season! In this solo episode, Kat reflects on nearly a decade of navigating a full-time art career and the subtle traps that can stall creative growth.
If you have ever felt busy but unfulfilled, or found yourself saying "yes" to every group show and opportunity out of a fear of missing out, this episode is for you. Kat discusses the concept that "good is the enemy of great" and how filling our schedules with "good" opportunities often prevents us from doing the deep, legacy-building work our souls actually crave.
In this episode, we cover:
-
The "Short-Term Giggle": Why we chase immediate dopamine hits (like small group shows) instead of waiting for the "full meal" of a cohesive body of work.
-
Deep Work vs. Shallow Validation: Moving away from the pressure to look successful on Instagram and toward creating work that truly matters.
-
The Fear of the Empty Calendar: Overcoming the survival-brain instinct that tells us we are failing if we aren't constantly busy.
-
Career Reflection: Kat shares her personal decision to scale back on scattered commitments to focus on producing a body of work she is truly proud of.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
We have officially opened the doors to our membership, The Create! Collective! This is our career membership for artists who want to grow together.
-
What’s Inside: Twice-monthly Zoom calls, guest speakers, and support circles.
-
New Opportunity: Active members are invited to participate in our exclusive Artsy exhibition coming up this March.
-
Bonus: Join for the year and receive a special sweatshirt bonus gift.
Join The Create! Collective here: https://www.createmagazine.co/collective
CONNECT WITH KAT
Email: info@createmagazine.com Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend or leaving a review. Cheers to pursuing greatness together!