The Creative Couch with Sam Marshall
The Creative Couch with Sam Marshall is a podcast about creativity, doubt, and finding your own way of making work. Hosted by artist and coach Sam Marshall, it offers honest conversations about making work, staying connected to creativity, and building confidence over time.
Episodes
Episode 34: Creative Burnout, Building an Art Business & Finding Your Focus
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three creative dilemmas from Viv, Debbie and Sophie, exploring how to recover your creative motivation after an exhibition, how to prepare for launching an art business, and how to simplify a multi-creative career when you're feeling overwhelmed and pulled in too many directions.Viv has recently finished preparing work for an exhibition and
Episode 33: Reclaiming Confidence, Creative Fatigue & Working Independently
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Suzanne, Ella and Jane, exploring how to rebuild creative confidence after it has been badly damaged, why observational drawing can feel so mentally exhausting, and how to move from constantly taking courses to developing a creative practice of your own.My Loving Lately this week is Mad Mabel by Sally Hepwo
Episode 32: Growing Slowly, Starting Again & Finding Your Creative Language
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Meg, Kathy and Taura, exploring how to grow a creative business when time is limited, how to make peace with returning to art later in life, and what happens when you're trying to find your own creative language rather than simply follow someone else's process.My Loving Lately this week is The Gol
Episode 31: Privacy, Artistic Ethics & Trusting Your Style
A quick note before we start: I accidentally recorded this week’s episode without my usual microphone, so the sound is slightly more echoey than normal. Everything is clear, though, and I decided it was better to share the episode than record the whole thing again!In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Hope, Kathy and Gina, exploring privacy and
Episode 30: An Honest Q&A About Art, Life, Choosing to Be Child-Free & Single, and the Story Behind My Positivity
In this week’s episode of The Creative Couch, I’m doing something a little different. While I waited for some new creative dilemmas to come in, I asked you to send me your questions instead, and you certainly did.Questions came in through Instagram DMs and the Creative Couch email, and there were far more than I could possibly answer in one episode, so apologies if I didn’t get to yours. I’ll defi
Episode 29: Imposter Syndrome, Pushing Your Work Further & Selling Your Art
⭐ I’m desperate for more dilemmas! ⭐I’ve now reached the end of the dilemmas currently sitting in my inbox, so if there is something you are struggling with in your creative life, however big, small, specific or strange it might seem, please send it in to:thecreativecouchpod@gmail.comWhile I wait for some new dilemmas to arrive, next week’s episode will be a Q&A. So if there is anything you wo
Episode 28: Finding Coherence, Making Art Responsibly & Fear of Criticism
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Amandine, Jen and Michelle, exploring artistic identity, environmental responsibility, creative guilt and the lasting impact of criticism.Amandine lives in France with her husband and four-year-old daughter and works full-time, so her creative practice has to fit into the small pockets of time she can find.
Episode 27: Retiring as an Artist, Marketing Your Work & Finding Time to Create
A little podcast note: there won’t be an episode of The Creative Couch next week as I’m away for ten days and taking a short break. I’ll be back the following week with another three creative dilemmas.In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas exploring what it means to retire as an artist, how to market your work when you really don’t enjoy marketing, a
Episode 26: Rejection, Finding Your Style & Protecting Studio Time
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Kate, Anabelle and Ruth, exploring rejection, artistic identity, finding your style, rebuilding confidence and learning to protect your creative time.Kate has spent the last six months trying to turn her lino printing into something more professional. She has created an Etsy shop and website, approached sto
Episode 25: Creative Chat with Sarah Jane Moon | Portraiture, Teaching & Creativity
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I sit down with the wonderful artist and portrait painter Sarah Jane Moon for a relaxed and thoughtful conversation about creativity, portraiture and building a life as an artist.Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, Sarah Jane shares the story of how she moved to the UK, found her way into painting without a traditional Fine Art degree, and gradually esta
Episode 24: Success, Grief & Creative Overwhelm
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Kate, Susan and Coralie, exploring creative success, grief, burnout, overwhelm and how to protect the joy of making when life and work begin placing too many demands upon it.Kate returned to painting during lockdown after a twenty-year break from creativity. What began as a joyful, private practice graduall
Episode 23: Solo Exhibitions, Returning to Art & Creative Uncertainty
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Craig, Anouk and Linda, exploring artistic permission, returning to creativity after a long absence and building a creative life alongside chronic illness.Craig is a collage artist from Philadelphia who has completed an ambitious series of fifty bird collages. Although collectors are eager to buy the work,
Episode 22: Talking About Your Art, Saying No & Finding Your Style
Editor's note: During Della's dilemma I accidentally referred to her as "Bella" several times. My sincere apologies, Della. It was a genuine slip during recording, and I'm very grateful to you for sending in such a thoughtful question.In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Penny, Helen and Della, exploring talking about
Episode 21: Exhibiting, Printing & Opting Out
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to four thoughtful creative dilemmas from Jen, Laura, Sheena and Nikky, exploring art appreciation, printmaking, selling artwork, creative identity and the complicated relationship between creativity and success.Jen is preparing for an exhibition in her own studio later this year and has been reflecting on the difference between how artists are taug
Episode 20: Creativity After Crisis, New Studio & Interrupted Practice
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Grace, Mary Lou and Kelly, exploring creativity after crisis, returning to the studio after major life changes, chronic illness, momentum, artistic identity and the spaces we create around our work.Grace wrote in after her seven-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes earlier this year. After m
Episode 19 : Burnout, Selling Art & Finding Your Direction
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Claudia, Sophie and Caroline, exploring burnout, artistic identity, selling artwork, creative validation and the challenge of moving beyond your comfort zone.Claudia is recovering from severe burnout after a lifetime of pursuing challenge, achievement and new experiences. Recently diagnosed with autism and
Episode 18: Digital Art, Creative Time & Leaving Teaching
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Mimi, Louise and Cally – exploring digital art, creative time, financial security and the realities of building a creative life.Mimi is a retired nurse, educator and psychotherapist from the Pacific Northwest who returned to her first love of making art later in life. She creates digital artwork using Procr
Episode 17: Pricing Artwork, Creative Flip-Flopping & Hobby Businesses
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Caroline, Alison and Laurel – exploring the emotional complexity of pricing artwork, the overwhelm of constantly changing creative direction, and the question of whether a calming creative hobby should become a business at all.Caroline is a printmaker who has started selling her linoprints at fairs and mark
Episode 16 : Creative chat with my Mum
In this special episode of The Creative Couch, I’m joined by a very special guest… my mum.Before we headed off together to Italy for my recent drawing and printmaking retreat, I asked listeners to send in their questions for her — and this episode became such a lovely, funny and genuinely heartfelt conversation.We talk about all the things people are always asking me about her: her creativity, her
Episode 15: Artistic Ethics, Mailing Lists & Creative Identity
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Sarah, Lyn and Helen – exploring artistic ethics, building a mailing list from scratch, and the vulnerable question of whether to create under your own name or hide behind a brand.Sarah recently spotted a print in an exhibition that looked strikingly similar to another artist’s well-known work. The similari
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 su
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
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 plac
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
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
Episode 9: Starting to Sell, Losing Interest and Studio Block
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Becky, Emeline and Addy – exploring how to start selling your work, what to do when interest fades after success, and how to navigate creative block in a studio space that no longer feels supportive.Becky is ready to start selling her hand printed cards and watercolour sketches, but feels overwhelmed by the
Episode 8: Copyright, Creative Travel and Going Viral
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Liz, Ziva and Lucy – exploring ownership and boundaries online, creativity through travel, and what happens when success starts to feel like a trap.Liz has been sharing her embroidery and stitch work online and has recently discovered her images being shared on Pinterest without permission or credit. While
Episode 7: Too Many Ideas, Letting Go of Old Work and Finding Time to Draw
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Lucille, Siobhan and Sam. exploring creative paralysis, letting go of old work, and how to build a meaningful practice in very limited time.Lucille has a rich and varied creative life, working across drawing, printmaking, basket weaving and decorative painting. But instead of feeling energised by her ideas
Episode 6: Drawing in Public, Getting Started and Taking Yourself Seriously
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Julie, Caroline and Kerry – exploring how to handle being watched while drawing in public, how to get started when you suddenly have all the equipment, and how to stop postponing taking yourself seriously as an artist.Julie has recently started drawing outside and quickly discovered something many sketchers
Episode 5: Multiple Jobs, Creative Loneliness and Changing Direction
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Helen, Sue and Liz – exploring how to organise a creative life when you have multiple roles, how to navigate a shift in your artistic direction, and how to find creative community when making work alone starts to feel lonely.Helen wrote in after listening to the first episodes and asked a question many crea
Episode 4: Creative Blocks, Too Many Ideas and the Fear of Peaking
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Chinju, Catherine (with a nod to Siobhan, who sent in a very similar question) and Jane – each exploring creative block, creative overwhelm and the fear that your best work may already be behind you.Chinju is a busy mum who hasn’t drawn regularly for many years. She feels a deep pull to return to drawing, b
Episode 3: Creative Identity, Overwhelm & Open Calls
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Jenny, Becky and Liza – each exploring identity, overwhelm and how we move forward with courage in our creative lives.Jenny did an art degree but hasn’t made work for years. When someone close to her questioned whether she should still call herself creative, it struck a nerve. Can you claim a creative ident
Episode 2 : Staying Creative, Selling Work & Curating With Confidence
In this episode of The Creative Couch, I respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas from Mary Ann, Liza and Melissa - each touching on confidence, stability and how we navigate uncertainty in our creative lives.Mary Ann is struggling to stay creative when the wider world feels chaotic and overwhelming. How do you protect your practice when the news cycle, instability and external noise start t
Creative Couch Podcast Trailer | Start Here
Welcome to Creative Couch.New episodes are released weekly. (In this trailer I accidentally say daily — this is a weekly podcast.)I’m Sam Marshall — artist, printmaker, creative coach and author based in rural Northamptonshire. In this podcast, I answer real creative dilemmas and explore how to build a braver, more sustainable artistic practice.Each episode explores confidence, creative block, fin
Episode 1: Overwhelm, Creative Doubt & Finding Your Artistic Voice
In this first episode of The Creative Couch, I’m answering three creative dilemmas from artists at different stages of their journey.We explore:• The gap between expectation and reality, and the overwhelm that can follow • Returning to art after a break and managing a busy, “popcorn brain” • Finding your artistic voice and making work that genuinely feels like yoursThis podcast is a space for hone
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