Artists for Joy
Episodes
Episode 2.6: Curiosity
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast: curiosity. What purpose does it play in our creative lives? What one of Merideth's favorite writers says to do when you do n...
Episode 2.5: Regret
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast, after the truth-talk about self-sabotage last week—an episode devoted to self-sabotage's first cousin….regret. What can ...
Episode 2.4: Self-Sabotage
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever had an amazing opportunity and just watched it pass you by? Have your once-beloved creative projects suffered a demise at your very own ...
Episode 2.3: Self-Coaching for Creatives
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the podcast this week, Merideth does her best to put coaches (herself included) out of business. She'll offer you some questions to help you get to...
Episode 2.2: The Tortured Artist Stereotype
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth discusses the harmful "tortured artist" stereotype that plagues artists everywhere. Must we be sad, depressive, melancholy individu...
Episode 2.1: Just Start. (Over)
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What better way to begin Season 2 than with stories of artists starting over! Merideth shares the most important question to consider during a restart...
Episode 43: Transformation
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the Season Finale, Merideth explores how the creative process can transform us from the inside out, if we just ask the right questions. She'll answ...
Episode 42: Creative Lies--"My work is my worth"
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you answer that pesky, well-meaning question strangers ask: "What do you do?" This week a debunking of a lie creatives tell--"My work is my wor...
Episode 41: Solitude
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How does unstructured alone time affect our creativity? Where is the line between healthy solitude, which can promote important reflection and growth—...
Episode 40: Worry
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the popularity of the anxiety episode, a follow up—this time anxiety's legitimate, responsible, older cousin: worry. How are worry and anxiety...
Meet an Artist Who: Painted everything she owned
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast, the first in a series of new bonus episodes entitled "Meet an Artist Who," where we invite artists to share their stories in...
Episode 39: Clutter
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How does what we own affect our creative life? Why is it so hard to let physical things go? This week Merideth offers three mantras she's using to spa...
Episode 38: Mindset
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast: Mindset. How does the spirit with which we approach things change our experience? How can we learn to cultivate a mindset of...
Episode 37: Friendship
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What stops us from cultivating deep friendships, especially with other artists? This week on the show, Merideth explores how friendship can be a power...
Episode 36: Just. Start.
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Merideth explores why we are so reluctant to take that initial step towards a creative goal and how we might follow Nike's call t...
Episode 35: An Artist's Search for Why
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Merideth takes on the ever-important topic for artists--naming and claiming your "why." What benefit is there in this singularity of ...
Episode 34: Competition
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk competition, how comparing ourselves to others can drain us and lead to creative drought. Merideth will offer a metaphor for scarcit...
Episode 33: Anxiety
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast, Merideth explores a topic she and so many artists struggle with: anxiety. She'll share info from two studies on how anxiety ...
Episode 32: Artist as Empath
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast Merideth explores the strength of being a deep feeler, how artists can use their sensitivity to nurture empathy in others. S...
Episode 31: Talent + Hard Work = ?
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast Merideth examines the popular mantra: talent + hard work= success. How much do our unique and innate gifts contribute to our ...
Episode 30: Repeat the Sounding Joy
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What *is* joy, how is it different from regular old happiness, why is choosing joy an important practice to cultivate as an artist, anyway? This week,...
Episode 29: People Pleasing
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Should artists be people pleasers? Is it possible (or wise) to stop caring what people think? This week Merideth shares a personal story about a big d...
Episode 28: Faith
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are talking faith...faith in the creative process, faith in ourselves and each other, and the very light and non-controversial topic of h...
Bonus Content: Mindfulness Meditation
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Meditation is proven to relieve stress and improve overall health. Join Merideth for a bonus episode featuring a special guided mindfulness meditation...
Episode 27: Mindfulness
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, join Merideth as she explores mindfulness: why she was so resistant to a mindfulness practice at first, how and why she eventually came aro...
Episode 26: Change
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Change—even when it's for the best—is hard. Merideth shares a time when she was surprisingly resistant to change and offers one way of viewing our...
Episode 25: Purpose in Play
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast Merideth explores the purpose we may find in play-- how making space for unstructured, unproductive, purely playful activitie...
Episode 24: Letting Go
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Merideth explores the the art of letting go. Is it beautiful or just plain painful? She'll share her thoughts on how it can be an expecte...
Episode 23: Failure
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth takes on the tough topic of failure. She'll offer 3 tips for processing, bouncing back, and cultivating a healthy sense of self out...
Episode 22: Artist with a Capital A
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hands down the most common statement in Merideth's inbox about the show is, "I love your show but I am not an artist!" This week Merideth explores thi...
Episode 21: Rest
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know how to rest? This week Merideth explores the full spectrum of rest from an artist's perspective-- from mind-numbing TV to REM cycles of...
Episode 20: Some Dreams Take a Lifetime
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, in our 20th episode, Merideth looks at the themes within the theme. Ever feel like you are losing hope in the face of disappointments or de...
Episode 19: Tuning In To Your Inner Dialogue
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you hear the voices? The inner voices that chastise or criticize you at every turn? This week on the podcast, Merideth explores how we all might tu...
Episode 18: How to Feel Better
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Six months into this pandemic (here in the US, anyway), Merideth checks in and offers one idea about why so many of us may be struggling anew right no...
Episode 17: The Art of Studying or Teaching with Joy
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth explores how arts training can burn us out or zap our creativity. She'll propose some ideas for staying joyful as we study or teach...
Bonus Content: The Well
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, in lieu of a full episode, Merideth shares a visualization exercise that explores our thirst for self-acceptance and worthiness. Join her o...
Episode 16: Do (Not) Read the Comments
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever read the comments and then swiftly regret it? Wonder how to manage criticism, the need for recognition, the desire to be applauded, especially in...
Episode 15: Self-care
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Merideth shares some practical tips for taking care of yourself. Interwoven with music of Chopin, Swift/Rose, Piazzolla, and Bach, yo...
Episode 14: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What stories do you tell yourself about your life? This week Merideth explores this concept and how we artists can find courage to change our inner na...
Episode 13: Being a Beginner
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth explores the joy in being a beginner. Listen if you're looking for grace, patience, or courage to try something new, change directi...
Episode 12: Buried Dreams
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Italian Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo, said, "I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free." This week Merideth explores burie...
Episode 11: Belonging
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Where do you belong? This week Merideth dives into this question, reflecting on her own upbringing in small-town South Carolina. She explores how arti...
Episode 10: Procrastination
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a procrastinator? This week on the podcast Merideth explores the role procrastination can play in an artist's life. She proposes a few reasons...
Episode 9: Hearing
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth remembers the most meaningful course she's ever taken, and how it reminds her that even with highly trained ears, we can be unconsc...
Episode 8: Body Image
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth takes on the topic of body image and how hatred for our bodies stops us from finding joy in the artist life. She shares a bit about...
Episode 7: Creative Block, Part 1--The Third Voice
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Merideth begins a deep dive into the topic of creative block: sharing stories of artists experiencing it and how the words of James Baldwin ...
Episode 6: The Movement Needs You
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are no words at this moment, and so this episode is different. Merideth passes the mic to others, whose voices she is honored to amplify: artist...
Episode 5: Perseverance
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How are you persevering right now? What is all the uncertainty, isolation, and concern of the future doing to your creative impulse, your sense of joy...
Episode 4: The Inner Critic
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Madonna, Tom Hanks, Maya Angelou...what do all these artists have in common? They struggle with their inner critic. In this episode, Merideth Hite Est...
Episode 3: Identity
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Playwright George Bernard Shaw famously said, "Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself." A quote that might seem at odds wi...
Episode 2: Your Inner (Artist) Child
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pablo Picasso said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." This week host Merideth Hite Estevez explores...
Episode 1: Perfectionism
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you an artist who struggles with perfectionism? In this episode, host Merideth Hite Estevez explores an antidote to that feeling and more ways to ...
Trailer
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A little taste of what's ahead with Artists for Joy!