Hattie Johnson

You're listening to the Art Problems Podcast, Episode 108.

I'm your host, Hattie Johnson.

This is the podcast where we talk about how to get more shows, grants, and residencies.

And before we dive into today's episode, I want to let you know about a free info session I'm hosting this Wednesday, February 25th at 7 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time called How to Become a Biennial Artist.

We're going to talk about what it actually takes to get into major exhibitions and how to build the kind of career that actually gets you noticed.

You can register at the link in the show notes.

Today, I'm talking with artist Kimberly Coyne Mortira, a Bay Area artist who joined Netwerk three years ago, feeling deeply insecure about her writing, despite loving her studio practice.

So she knew that she needed support to win more grants and she'd seen firsthand that when she had some help,

She was really successful.

And what I think is really remarkable about Kimberly's story is how much she really used the membership.

She didn't just passively consume content.

She dove into the reviews, asked for feedback constantly.

and built relationships with mentors and peers who fundamentally changed how she documents her work and writes about it.

And her applications improved so dramatically that she went from avoiding certain opportunities to applying for major grants like the Guggenheim.

She actually won a lot of grants too.

So there's a real success there.

We talk about how she gets feedback within hours when she needs it.

why AI tools like Grammarly help but can't replace human editors, and how staying focused on her own path instead of competing locally has given her sustained hopefulness, even as six major galleries in the Bay Area have closed.

So if you've ever wondered what it actually looks like to use a creative community to level up your practice, this conversation is really going to shed some light on that for you.