Life Transitions
Some changes happen despite our best efforts. Others we can plan for.
These episodes of The Art Biz follow artists through major transitions in their creative lives, exploring the reasoning behind their decisions and the tools they used to keep going.
What to do with 400 paintings: artist legacy and economic reality with Alissa Quart (243)
When Alissa Quart’s mother received a terminal diagnosis, she faced 400 paintings and no plan for their future. Her approach was unconventional: distributing the work directly to neighbors and friends.
This conversation explores what artists need to sustain their practice, why affordable housing matters for creative communities, and how to honor an artist’s legacy without sacrificing your own life in the process.
Reinventing your art career with Ali Cavanaugh (189)
In 2014, Ali Cavanaugh had 11 galleries representing her work throughout the U.S. and even overseas. It was all she could do to paint fast enough to supply these galleries with new work. It’s a great problem for any artist to have, but was still a problem for her.
Something wasn’t right. Ali started pulling away from galleries and reconsidering not just her business model, but the art itself.
Spotlighting artists who bloom later in life with Janice Mason Steeves (181)
This episode is about coming to art later in life—an under-explored topic to date. Janice Mason Steeves shares the realization that the students in her workshops tended to be in the 60 to 80 age group, which piqued her curiosity and led to the book Bloom.
We spend the first half of our conversation talking about how the book came to be. Then we discuss the advantages, benefits and challenges of becoming an artist after age 60.
Leaning into art to battle depression with David Sandum (169)
David Sandum’s journey through depression led him to the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch—finding solace and a deep connection with their expression of raw emotions.
We discuss how art continues to be a lifeline in his struggle with depression, the tension between making art for yourself and surviving in a commercial market, and how and why he started the international Postcard Art Exhibit.
Proactively planning your art legacy with Heather K. Powers (143)
Experience forces me to remind you of your mortality. Artist and professional organizer Heather K. Powers wants to normalize death because it’s a part of life.
This conversation is especially important for artists, who make things that take up physical space. How do you categorize those things? What kind of records need to be kept? And what, if anything, should be destroyed, reworked, or donated?
Transitioning to a full-time artist with Dianna Fritzler (17)
Over the past ten years I’ve watched Dianna Fritzler go from full-time artist to full-time marketing employee and back again. I had the pleasure of helping her a little along the way.
I wanted to share Dianna’s path so you can hear how she set a target and took deliberate and consistent steps to reach that target in a very short timespan.
Confronting your professional legacy with David Paul Bayles (15)
I have been concerned about artists’ legacies and what they are doing to prepare themselves and their loved ones for their passing. What happens to the work and the records after they’re gone?
David Paul Bayles tells us what his professional archives consist of, including his photos, writings, records, and audio files. He also gives us insight into the process of negotiating with an institution to preserve his work.
As you listen, pay careful attention to all of the people David has connected with along the way. His story is one of finding and nurturing connections.
