The Creative Couch with Sam Marshall

Episode 14: Framing Anxiety, Comparison & Blank Sketchbooks

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Barbara, Mimi and Juilette – exploring framing and exhibitions, comparison and creative growth, and the pressure we place on ourselves through sketchbooks. Barbara has started selling her paintings and is now thinking more seriously about exhibitions and presenting her work professionally. But framing has suddenly become a confusing world full of hidden rules and standards she doesn’t fully understand. From hanging systems and ready-made frames to worries about whether her work looks “professional enough”, she finds herself second-guessing every decision. How do you know what’s good enough when it comes to framing, and how do you stop presentation anxiety from undermining your confidence as an artist? Mimi has been painting watercolours for more than 35 years and has built a successful practice creating detailed miniature works that have sold well and received awards. But after immersing herself in classes, webinars, podcasts and online inspiration, she’s finding herself overwhelmed by comparison and increasingly disconnected from her own voice. At the same time, she’s trying to work larger and looser, but feels clumsy and discouraged every time she attempts it. Should she stay with the style she already excels at, or keep pushing herself into unfamiliar territory in the hope that something new might emerge? Juilette loves the idea of keeping travel sketchbooks and carefully packs beautiful drawing materials every time she goes away. But when she actually arrives, she freezes. Between perfectionism, pressure to make “good” drawings, and struggling to claim time for herself while travelling with her husband, she often comes home with a blank sketchbook and a heavy sense of disappointment. How do you build a genuine sketchbook habit without turning drawing into another thing to get right? In this episode, I explore: • Why comparison often increases when we consume too much creative input • The difference between growth and proof of failure • Why awkwardness is often a sign of expansion in your practice • How framing can become emotionally tied to legitimacy and professionalism • Why simple presentation is often enough for exhibitions and sales • The pressure sketchbooks can quietly carry • How perfectionism stops us from noticing small meaningful moments • Why creativity often begins to flow again when we lower the stakes Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com [thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com]

Episode 13: A Creative Conversation with Laura Smith

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I’m joined by painter Laura Smith for the first in a new series of creative conversations with artists, friends and fellow creatives about their practice and creative lives. Although the podcast began with me responding to creative dilemmas sent in by listeners, it was always my intention to intersperse those episodes with longer, more open-ended conversations with other creatives, and I’m so happy to be starting that part of the podcast with Laura. Laura and I have known each other for years. We both studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and later at the Royal Drawing School, and in this conversation we settle in for a thoughtful, wide-ranging chat about painting, creativity, teaching and the realities of sustaining a creative life over time. We talk about studio life, living and working in London, balancing creative practice with other commitments, and our experiences of social media and Instagram as working artists. We also discuss painters we admire, including Giorgio Morandi, the importance of looking slowly, and the artists and exhibitions that have been inspiring us lately. Along the way, we share recommendations, reflections on teaching, thoughts on creative pressure, and some honest conversation about the quieter, less visible parts of maintaining an artistic practice. You can find Laura on Instagram at @Laurajrsmith. We’ll be returning to creative dilemmas next week, so if you’ve got a dilemma you’d like me to respond to, you can send it to thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com [thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com].

Episode 12: Instagram Burnout, Pricing and Creative Pressure

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Dana, Lou and Alan – exploring the frustration of Instagram, the fear around raising prices, and the pressure of making the most of a creative opportunity. Dana runs a small creative business making lino prints inspired by coastal architecture and tide lines, and once found Instagram a really supportive place to share her work. But as the platform has changed, her reach has dropped, growth has stalled, and the pressure to keep up with reels, trends and constant posting has started to take over. What once felt like connection now feels like performance, leaving her questioning both her work and her place on the platform. How do you continue using Instagram without letting it drain your energy or define your sense of progress? Lou has been running creative workshops that are gaining momentum, with returning participants and fuller classes, but financially things aren’t adding up. After factoring in travel, materials and venue commissions, she’s barely paying herself, yet feels nervous about raising her prices in case it puts people off or disrupts the growth she’s seeing. When is the right time to increase your prices, and how do you do it without losing the people who already support you? Alan has rebuilt his creative practice later in life and is now developing his work through printmaking, selling at markets and running workshops. He’s recently been accepted onto an artist residency, giving him two weeks of dedicated time and space to make work. But instead of feeling free, he feels torn between planning too rigidly and risking failure, or going in unprepared and wasting the opportunity. How do you approach something like this without turning it into a test, and how do you balance structure with spontaneity? In this episode, I explore: • Why your relationship with Instagram matters more than the algorithm  • How expectations around visibility and growth can quietly drain your energy  • The difference between being busy and being financially sustainable  • Why underpricing often comes from fear rather than strategy  • How to approach opportunities without turning them into something to get “right”  • Why structure and spontaneity aren’t opposites, and how they can support each other Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

Episode 11: Accuracy, Creative Pressure and Overthinking

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Marilyn, Rachel and Jill – exploring the pressure to draw accurately, the weight of creative expectations after a big life change, and the paralysis that comes from overthinking and too many ideas. Marilyn has loved art her whole life but still feels held back by a voice that tells her her drawings must look exactly like what she sees. After discovering a more expressive way of working, something clicked, but she’s struggling to move away from accuracy and trust her own choices. How do you draw with confidence when you’ve spent years believing there’s a “right” way to do it, and how do you begin to work more freely with colour and mark-making? Rachel recently stepped away from a long and intense career to create more space for printmaking, but an upcoming exhibition has left her feeling overwhelmed rather than inspired. With her confidence shaken and pressure building, she’s questioning whether she’s ready at all, and feels she needs to create an entirely new body of work to prove herself. How do you approach opportunities like this without turning them into a test, and how do you move forward when everything suddenly feels like it matters too much? Jill has reached a stage in life where she finally has time to focus on her creativity, but instead of making, she finds herself stuck in overthinking. With multiple mediums, endless ideas, and questions around time, purpose and choosing the “right” project, she hasn’t started anything at all. How do you begin when everything feels important, and how do you stop thinking and start making without needing everything to make sense first? In this episode, I explore: • Why accuracy can become a limitation rather than a guide in drawing  • How early experiences shape the way we approach our work, often without us realising  • The pressure that can follow a big life change, and how it can quietly block creativity  • Why you don’t need a whole new body of work to move forward  • How overthinking and too much choice can stop you from beginning  • Why the idea of a “why” can sometimes become unhelpful rather than supportive Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com

Episode 10: Presentations, Too Many Directions and Shipping Artwork

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Magdalena, Carrie and Jennifer – exploring public speaking nerves, feeling pulled in too many creative directions, and the practical realities of shipping artwork. Magdalena reached out after hearing me talk about that moment of self-awareness when you suddenly realise you’re the one leading the room. With a presentation coming up, she’s feeling anxious about being the focus of attention and how to manage the pressure that comes with it. How do you stay steady when all eyes are on you, and how do you work with nerves rather than against them? Kari is preparing for a group exhibition and finds herself developing three different bodies of work at once. The direction that excites her most also feels the most uncertain, leaving her torn between playing it safe with work she knows will resolve, or taking a risk on something more personal. Alongside this, she’s struggling with comparison, as others around her seem to produce finished, saleable work with ease. How do you commit to a direction when time is limited, and how do you protect the work that matters most? Jennifer feels ready to begin selling her artwork, but is held back by the practical challenge of shipping. She’s unsure how to safely package different types of work, whether it’s safe to roll pieces, and how to approach charging for postage. How do you confidently send your work out into the world, knowing it will arrive safely? In this episode, I explore: • Why self-awareness can suddenly turn into nerves when you’re being seen, and how to reframe that moment  • The difference between teaching and presenting, and how to approach each with more ease  • How to separate developing new work from preparing for an exhibition  • Why the most meaningful work often feels the least resolved  • Simple, practical ways to package and ship different types of artwork  • How to keep shipping and pricing straightforward without overcomplicating it Each dilemma is explored with both emotional insight and practical steps you can try in your own creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you’d like me to explore, please email me at: thecreativecouchpod@gmail.com