Down to a Fine Art: Recent Episodes
Izzy and Anna
Join Izzy and Anna, two slightly overwhelmed Falmouth Uni Fine Art graduates, as they try to understand the world of art. With the help of an occasional guest, they cover everything from technical advice to creative pressures, offering some honesty, transparency and reassurance for others in similar positions. Along the way they touch on deep time, capitalism, social media, vampirism, their favourite artists (Rachel Sussman 4eva), and throw in some fun science vibes for good measure. Both artists and the podcast can be found on Instagram: @downtoafineart.podcast @izzyfineart @anna.harris.art
Following on from their previous episode ‘Booktalk’ where they spoke about their reading habits, this episode Izzy and Anna discuss what they’ve read in the past year. Their top recommendations are: ‘Babel’ by R.F. Kuang, ‘House in the Cerulean Sea’ by T.J. Klune, ‘Islands of Abandonment’ by Cal Flyn, ‘Still Life with Bones’ by Alexa Hagerty, ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ by Jennette McCurdy, ‘Landmarks’ by Robert Macfarlane, ‘Funny Weather’ by Olivia Laing, and ‘To the Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week Izzy and Anna talk to three guests at once! Artists and stone carvers Elle Brown, Emily Roberts, and Sue Rogers discuss their show ‘The Green Cube’ at Potager Garden. They reflect on the benefits of exhibiting outdoors, share their stone carving tips, and consider ideas for the future of ‘The Green Cube’. All artists can be found on Instagram: Elle at @elliebrownartist, Emily at @erobertsarts, and Sue @suerogersstudio. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
Join Izzy and Anna as they go into a bit more detail abouttheir jobs and explore their creative identities alongside. They chat about the organisations they work for, question what aspects of their employment they enjoy, and think about how their practices fit into their wider sense of self.Disclaimer: eclipse juice may have impacted this episode. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
Today, Izzy and Anna chat about workshops. What makes a good one? What is their purpose? How do you design a workshop? Join them as they consider the answers to these questions by revisiting their past favourites. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
This episode Izzy and Anna celebrate the podcast’s third anniversary with visits from the ghosts of podcast past, present, and future (i.e. they talk about the podcast over the years and think about where it’s going). They’re also doing a call-out for guests so get in contact (@downtoafineart.podcast on Instagram) if you’d like to be involved. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
So…rocks. Let’s talk about them. (Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa)
This episode comes to you two months late (oops) and is all about ego in art. Inspired by a chat in Gabrielle Teaney’s episode, Izzy and Anna have some burning questions. Is ego/confidence helpful, or even essential, to being an artist? Is making something you know you can make well egotistical? Is ego tied to commercial success? Are ‘successful’ artists actually as riddled with imposter syndrome as the rest of us? Is ego even bad?! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s the first episode of 2024 and to mark the occasion Izzy and Anna interview Liv Gravil – painter, printmaker, and poet. Returning to Daisy Laing Gallery, they discuss the themes of Liv’s solo show ‘The Upworld’ including caves, mining, other-worldly spaces, anxious landscapes, the atomic priesthood, and the transitory space between the up and the down. The film referenced is ‘Into Eternity’ by Michael Madsen and the artists mentioned are Trevor Paglen, Suzanne Treister, Lawren Harris, and Charlotte Prodger. To see images of ‘The Upworld’ and to read the accompanying text, visit Liv’s website livgravil.cargo.site. You can also see more of their work on Instagram @livgravil, and Daisy Laing can be found at @daisylainggallery. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Happy (nearly) new year’s! To celebrate the imminent arrival of 2024, Izzy and Anna settle down for their annual episode of new year’s reflection and resolution assessment. They look back at the resolutions they set at the beginning of 2023 and see how many of them they’ve forgotten (spoiler: most of them) and decide what they would like to set as resolutions, or perhaps intentions, for the year ahead. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
In a further exciting turn of events, this week Izzy and Anna do their third ever live episode! They return to Daisy Laing Gallery in Penzance, this time to interview artist Max Whetter about his solo show ‘Made of sugar are ee?’. Sitting amongst Max’s work, they learn about his creative process, his mentoring with artist Andrew Litten, and the inspiration behind his wonderful titles (e.g. ‘The loud bugger with the beard’). They also invent the art-craft-trade spectrum and give a brief shoutout to the hilarity that is Dulux paint names. Max’s work can be seen on Instagram @maxwhetter and Daisy Laing can be found @daisylainggallery. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
In another exciting turn of events, this week Izzy and Anna do their second ever live episode! Joined by stone carver Elle Brown at Daisy Laing Gallery in Penzance, they discuss Elle’s inaugural solo show ‘Forme Féminine’. They explore a wide range of topics including the physical impact of stone carving, symposiums, the ethics around touching sculptures, Elle’s creative process, and the historical context of being a woman sculpting female forms. Elle’s work can be seen on Instagram @ellebrownartist and on her website ellebrown.art, and Daisy Laing Gallery can be found on Instagram @daisylainggallery. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week Izzy and Anna introduce a new segment of the podcast: the leopard seal segment (this is not permanent nor, in fact, that relevant to the episode). Moving swiftly on, they then spend the rest of the episode talking about their journals. How do they use them? Are they online or in-person? Are they a place for full sentences, drawing, or chaotic word circling that won’t ever make sense to them again? They apologise for how many page turning sounds there are in this episode. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
It’s another guest episode and this time Izzy and Anna are joined by Gabrielle Teaney – a multi-talented artist with a rich background. Over the years Gabrielle has studied photography, portraiture, painting, and art history, as well as working as a doula and running art classes and nature workshops. They discuss Gabrielle’s recent solo show, the impact of different environments on her paintings, turning the unfamiliar into the familiar, and when you should butter a cat’s foot. Gabrielle’s work can be seen on her Instagram @gabrielle.teaney and her website www.gabrielleteaney.com, and her workshops can be found on Instagram @artworkshopcornwall and at www.natureartplay.uk. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
In a first for the podcast, Izzy and Anna experience a technical glitch – that glitch being they lose half of their recording (RIP). But at least the remaining half is packed full of lichen-y goodness. Anna talks about her recent research into lichen, Izzy eats some chocolate fingers, and then they discuss how to bring scientific research into artistic practice. The artworks Anna mentions are 'Kinnomic Botany' and 'Making a Name' by Iman Datoo. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
It’s episode 60 – time to talk about books! Izzy and Anna compare their reading habits whilst talking about the great fiction/nonfiction divide, the benefits of book clubs, and how to start reading more. This episode is sadly not sponsored by Goodreads but could be sponsored by Steve Blease (who they discover might be the gateway drug to Robert Macfarlane). Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa.
In this week’s episode, Izzy and Anna are joined by professional art person and creative cheerleader Meg Fatharly. Join them for a whistlestop tour covering Meg’s artistic beginnings, the pressures of full-time artistry, teaching as practice, the importance of quitting, and anchor words. There’s also a pep talk for all the artists out there. To see Meg’s work, check out her Instagram @printcessmeg. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Despite a chaotic start, Izzy and Anna manage to pull off a pretty coherent and insightful episode talking about the concept of comfort zones. They discuss the benefits and drawbacks of leaving your comfort zone, the desire for familiarity, being pressured into your uncomfort zone, and how to healthily push yourself. We also learn that Izzy acts as the bowling rails of this podcast. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Now that they’re a year on from finishing university, Izzy and Anna decide it’s a good time to reflect on the similarities and differences between graduate life and student life. They give a rundown of their current jobs and discuss whether their chaotic schedules as Fine Art students prepared them well for their current working lives. There’s a cheeky plug for the Tate Collective Producers and, as usual, a healthy sprinkling of graduate panic throughout. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
(CW: brief discussions of OCD) This week, Izzy and Anna start a book club! Well, sort of. Unlike a conventional book club, they’re bringing different books to the table and unpacking some of their favourite quotes. Izzy’s reading from ‘Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet’ by Anna Tsing, Nils Bubandt, Heather Swanson, and Elaine Gan, and Anna has chosen ‘Entangled Life’ by Merlin Sheldrake. If you’re interested in mushrooms, the Anthropocene, or being a hill then this is the episode for you. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode Izzy and Anna are joined by Sophia Heath-Rochna – part 1 architectural assistant and Kevin McCloud’s biggest fan. In pursuit of finding out what it means to be an architect, they discuss a typical day in the role, the highs and lows of LinkedIn, socially conscious architecture, and B Corps, as well as providing some advice for incoming architecture students and spending a ridiculously long amount of time deciding whether a flip-flop is a shoe. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s time to get reflective as this week Izzy and Anna look back on their recent group show, ‘The Unsteady Now’. They re-live the rollercoaster of preparing, curating, and hanging the exhibition, as well as assessing if they’ve got better at private view-ing since their degree show (spoiler alert: they have). A big shoutout to all other members of the Cultivator Graduate Start-Up Programme 2022 (and Phil Notes) – after all, the real treasure is the friends made along the way. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In an exciting turn of events, this week’s episode was recorded at Tate St Ives! As part of the gallery’s U Studio festival, Izzy and Anna had the opportunity to bring Down to a Fine Art to a live audience for the very first time. Join them as they discuss the trials and tribulations of being an emerging artist in Cornwall and take questions from the crowd. Thank you to the Tate Collective Producers and Tate St Ives for making this happen :) Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s the podcast’s two year anniversary! As working adults, Izzy and Anna have decided not to get drunk this year, but instead to reminisce about their very first episode. Join them to see how their answers differ and if they’ve changed: how have their practices developed? Do they still have the same artistic insecurities? Are they better equipped when it comes to ‘art knowledge’? There’s also a tense segment on notebook usage that threatens the future of their friendship. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week, Izzy and Anna visit the studio of the wonderful artist and lecturer Lucy Willow. In a slightly different episode format, they have an unfiltered discussion over some cups of tea and unpick the similarities in their practices. They discover a shared love of fossils, collections, and ceramics; the importance of having a comfortable studio; the benefits of a good deadline; the odd experience of having someone else curate your work; and that Bagpuss is an anti-Capitalist hero. What’s not to love?! Lucy’s work can be found on Instagram @artist_lucy_willow and @d.u.s.t_art. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s episode 50! And to celebrate, Izzy and Anna have brought you their longest ever recording! This week, Izzy gets some art therapy because, in summary, sHE NEEDS THIS. They workshop the importance of being fun with your art, the different associations with painting/drawing/found objects, trace fossils, when to justify your artwork to others and when to listen to your critical voice. They also learn that skulls and teeth are the same thing but in a different font. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Big news! Izzy and Anna are in a group show! This week, they talk about their current planning process and how they’re preparing for the upcoming exhibition. What are they worried about? What’s going well? How are they staying on top of the workload? Is a deadline really a deadline if there’s no one there to enforce it? Tune in to find out. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode Izzy and Anna answer your questions! From the reality of being an artist to alternative places of study, their early of experiences of art to overcoming doubt, they reveal all on everything you wanted to know. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Do you have any new year’s resolutions? Should you? Well, Izzy and Anna are here to unpack that for you. Join them as they look at their own resolutions (past and present), as well as discussing how to keep them healthy, the new year as a catalyst for change, and how the podcast has grown over 2022. They hope this episode gives you some food for thought in preparation for 2023! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week, Izzy and Anna discover their self-saboteurs and the impacts (both positive and negative) they have on their lives. Using author Shirzad Chamine’s saboteur test, they assess how various personality traits might be affecting their ability to art. Traits discussed include perfectionism, restlessness, people pleasing tendencies, melancholia and more. If you’re a fan of children’s TV references this is also the episode for you. The test can be found at www.positiveintelligence.com/saboteurs/. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
How should you title an artwork? Is there a right and a wrong way of doing it? Izzy and Anna delve into the world of titles in this week’s episode, comparing their favourite titles and discussing what it is they like about each one. They unpick the difference between a title and a label, discover some great puns, and have yet another argument about ‘BMW Shark’. Artists, artworks and exhibitions mentioned in this episode include: Tessa Farmer, ‘The Perilous Pursuit of a Python’; Rachel Sussman, ‘The Oldest Living Things in the World’ (of course); ‘The Only Thing More Slippery Than The Elbow’ (Auction House, Redruth); Antony Gormley, ‘Still Falling’; Georgia Gendall, ‘Salt Licks’; Solomon Kammer, ‘Cede’, ‘Capitulate’, ‘Languish’, ‘Perpetuity’, ‘Handled’, ‘That’s Normal’; Nina Powles ‘[IMG_227]’; and ‘We Are Floating in Space’ (Newlyn Art Gallery). Music: Ketsa, ‘Still Room On The Night Train’, available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Hold on to your hats because this is one jam-packed episode! Izzy and Anna are joined by Lily Evans, whimsical illustrator and fellow Falmouth graduate, to share their respective art experiences. Topics include: website building, drawing blobs, the power of positive energy, social media, style/visual language, Etsy shops, and the age-old commercial vs non-commercial art discussion. You can find Lily’s art at @lilyevansillustration on Instagram or on lilyevansillustration.co.uk. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Today, Izzy and Anna introduce a new episode format to the podcast. They each bring an old piece of their own work to the metaphorical table, discuss the making and thought processes behind it, and then consider it in the context of their developed practices. To see the works in question, head over to @downtoafineart.podcast. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode, Izzy and Anna discuss sustainability in art. They speak about their own experiences of this topic in relation to education, how to deal with art being inherently materialistic, and even give some strong artist recommendations. Speaking of which, here are the artists they mentioned: Claire Chi (mica artist) (@clairechi.art), Bonnie Steward (@bish_art_), Alice Fox (@alicefoxartist), Jon Foreman (@sculpttheworld), Nils Udo (@nils_udo), Gustav Metzger (‘Mobbile’), Joseph Beuys (‘7000 Oaks’), Trenow Fields (@trenowfields), Arts Culture Commune (created by Joely Mae Greally and Alfie Thorpe) (@artsculturecommune), and Social Designs (created by Ste Davies and Fran Rausa) (@socialdesigns_). Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Do you want to hear a slightly sub-par lecture?! Then this is the episode for you! Join Izzy and Anna as they unpack 'Thing Theory' by Bill Brown and 'Vibrant Matter' by Jane Bennett in a slightly chaotic way. Highlights include Izzy introducing us to her blob theory, meeting Anna: ship of Theseus, and Jane Bennett spitting some bars. The poem Anna read was by Jarod K. Anderson, @cryptonaturalist on Instagram. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Izzy and Anna are joined by ‘film person’ Adam Simcox in this week’s episode. They talk a lot about the differences between fine art and film, particularly with regard to commercialism and criticism, as well as how to have a well-informed opinion. At one point, they also take it upon themselves to dissect Adam’s personality. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It's time for another reflective episode as Izzy and Anna check in with their practices two months post graduation. There are some wholesome conversations on the importance of managing mental health as a creative, suspending your critical voice, and creating sustainable working habits. Creepy crawlies also make a strong appearance as Izzy describes her recent bug paintings, and Anna shares a traumatising incident with a spider studio-dweller. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week there's a strong science and art vibe as Izzy and Anna describe their favourite exhibitions of all time. There's some existential jellyfish, some wondrous mahogany cabinets, a deep dive into Alice in Wonderland, the origin story of Rachel Sussman, and some mild controversy over utensil use - this is not an episode to miss! Exhibitions/artworks mentioned: ‘Our Time on Earth’ at the Barbican; ‘Future Knowledge’ at Modern Art Oxford (ft. Air Pollution Toile, Lucy Kimbell; Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Tania Kovats; The Oldest Living Things in the World, Rachel Sussman; and Continuing Bodies, How Nature Builds); ‘Eco-visionaries’ at the RA (ft. win > < win, Rimini Protokoll (Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi and Daniel Wetzel)); ‘Radical Landscapes’ at Tate Liverpool (ft. Back to the Fields, Ruth Ewan); and ‘Alice in Wonderland: Curiouser and Curiouser’ at the V&A. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In today’s episode, Izzy and Anna interview Alex Blackwell – photographer, geologist, and geography teacher. They do a deep dive into the photography, admin and politics of protest, as well as discussing a shared love of books as curatorial devices. Towards the end, the conversation moves to the role of art in education, particularly when it comes to the climate crisis. The photo Alex mentions can be found on Instagram at @downtoafineart.podcast, more of Alex’s work can be found at @alexblackwellphoto, and the film Alex mentions is Nostalgia by Hollis Frampton. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Want some advice about CV writing? Then this is the episode for you. Join Izzy and Anna as they delve into ‘art’ applications, ‘job’ applications and everything in between. There’s lots of confusion about what you should and shouldn’t put in a CV (is year 6 cycling proficiency still relevant?!), as well as some formatting discussions and Anna hating on the colour grey. What an episode!! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Back from their impromptu break, Izzy and Anna talk about their recent residencies at CAST – a local artist studio complex with a focus on art and science. They describe what a residency actually is, what work they made whilst there, and how they found the whole experience. The episode finishes on a thoughtful note as they reflect on their new creative endeavours and how their practices might change now they’re no longer students. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week’s episode covers all things organisation, from daily schedules to art journaling. Izzy and Anna touch on to-do lists, the management of the podcast, whether they’re digital or physical note-takers, and spontaneity vs routine (particularly as an artist – do organised artists even exist?!). They also check-in with each other on how they’re finding being in the abyss of non-student life, and in the words of Anna ‘that felt like a tutorial but for my brain…otherwise known as therapy’. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Following on from ‘Let’s put up a degree show’, Izzy and Anna use today’s episode to go in-depth on how it went. If you want to know how they hung their work, who came to the opening, what went wrong behind-the-scenes, and the advice they would give anyone hanging a show of their own, tune in! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week, Izzy and Anna take their minds off the fact that they’ve finished their degrees by doing something entirely unrelated – a dichotomy test. Join them as they discover who would rather take up water skiing, go on a spontaneous trip, constantly re-watch their favourite movie, try new foods, or jump out of a plane (with or without a parachute). Who do you think is more likely to be a creature of habit versus an adrenaline junkie? Where do you see yourself on this scale? Follow along on dichotomytests.com. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Hello, we’re quite (very) stressed with our final hand-in right now so writing a podcast description isn’t top of our to-do lists at this point in time, but essentially this is a podcast about putting up a degree show and how stressful and chaotic but fun and rewarding it is (even though right now it’s not finished and the deadline is looming so it’s mainly quite stressful reeeeeee). We hope you enjoy, and promise normal service will resume next episode :) Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
At this critical point in the semester, some art issues have come up and Izzy and Anna need to workshop them – what better way to do this than by giving each other a tutorial live on air. They take matters very seriously and set each other a strict 30-minute time-limit to get out all of their art quandaries, covering embossing, curatorial decisions, making art for the abyss, losing conceptual grounding, and whether art needs resolving. Izzy also introduces Anna to Herman the badger skull and she’s not happy about it. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s episode 29, and Izzy and Anna are joined by the wonderful Ethan Carney – Tate ‘big dog’, and art-loving creative. They start with a reflection on how artists present themselves on Instagram, considering the nuances of an ‘art’ page as opposed to an ‘artist’ page. This opens up conversations about establishing yourself after uni, the world of networking, the strange way art often comes full-circle, as well as the importance of doing what you love, and where that can lead you. If you feel like you need some calming words or reassurance, Ethan provides a lovely wave analogy and some insightful nuggets of wisdom: ‘everything will be ok – drink water’. To see Ethan’s artist page, visit @ethan_jerome_artist on Instagram. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week Izzy and Anna discuss collaboration – its pros and cons, their own experiences, and their future collaborative plans. Join them as they try to answer all manner of collaboration-based questions. Are bus drivers working collaboratively? Can self-doubt ever be a good thing? What even is collaboration?! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Down to a Fine Art is one year old today and to celebrate Izzy and Anna host one of the messiest episodes to date (spoiler alert: it involves a lot of alcohol). In their drunken state, they reflect on the past year, scream at a cork being popped, and discuss some of their favourite moments. There’s some behind the scenes insights into how the podcast was created, and even a section on other potential podcast names. Grab yourself a celebratory drink and join them for a party! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Suffering with artist block? Then this episode is the one for you! Izzy and Anna discuss their respective ruts: what’s caused them, when they started and how they’re trying to get out of them. By no means is there a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem, but as all creatives go through it, hopefully their ways of coping might give you an idea of where to start. They’d also love to know how you deal with artist block, or get yourself out of a rut – head on over to @downtoafineart.podcast on Instagram to let them know, and see what others recommend! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Tune in for Izzy and Anna’s latest existential crisis as they discuss the relationship between art and the climate emergency. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot to cover from the role artists have in communicating critical information, to the sustainability of their own practices. Join them for some Gaia Theory, intense bird watching, and the potential rebrand as the Rachel Sussman podcast. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Actual professional (!) graphic designer Alice Letten joins Izzy and Anna for this week’s episode as they once again conquer the three Cs: capitalism, commercialism and crafts. Grilling Alice for all she’s worth, they gain insight into the journey of becoming a graphic designer, what it’s like to be a young woman in a male-dominated industry, and the pressures of wanting to incite positive change while only being one cog in the capitalist machine. Oh, and there’s a little knitting vs crochet beef. To see Alice’s work, check out her website aliceletten.co.uk, and there’s also some pieces on her Instagram @aliceletten. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week Izzy and Anna throw it back to episode 1 and re-visit their practices, looking at how they’ve changed over the last 10 months. Covering the basics of artist inspiration, used materials and thematic concepts, grab a hot chocolate and join them as they get excited about new-found links in their work and potential collaborations. There’s also a musical interlude. To see their art as they talk about it, check out their Instagrams: @izzyfineart and @anna.harris.art. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Despite the fun festivities of the Christmas holidays and new year period, it can be a difficult time of year for many in terms of mental health. This episode centres around honest and open discussion of such issues, in particular focusing on the complex relationship between mental health and creativity. As well as sharing their own experiences, Izzy and Anna are joined by guest Jules Dautel to help them unpack everything from the taboos associated with therapy to the emotive impact of viewing art. Capitalism features once again, and a random security guard from Copenhagen also makes an appearance. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Izzy and Anna examine the world of craft in this week’s Christmassy episode. They discuss the differences between arts and crafts, touching on capitalism and feminism along the way, revise a bit of art history, and end on some Christmas craft recommendations. Prepare some mulled wine, get your creative Christmas activities ready and get crafting as you listen to this episode! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
What is interior design? Fellow student Ashley Powell joins Izzy and Anna to help answer this question, and it’s more complex than you may think! This week they cover spaceports, how not to use a protractor, the headaches of stair design, interior design career options, and Ashley’s dream of a multi-disciplinary studio. They also touch on why they chose Falmouth University, and in the words of Ashley: ‘I saw a palm tree and then that was it, I was sold’. Check out Ashley’s work @ashleyjamescreative on Instagram. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode Izzy and Anna tackle the complexities of having an online presence as an artist. They start by mapping the field for any boomers listening (and themselves it turns out), aggressively shout fungible for a while, and then explore the differences in their own social media uses. Although they touch on a wide variety of online platforms, the episode mainly revolves around Instagram – captioning, followers, followings, posting schedules, stories, and making connections. Join them for some wholesome pep talks and exchanging of compliments on each other’s social media games. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Melting glaciers, stoats and weasels in New Zealand, radioactive fallout – you name it, it’s covered in this episode as Izzy and Anna delve into their dissertations. Join them for (actually surprisingly calm) tutorial vibes as they outline their dissertation structures and discuss their relevant materials. There’s leaps of faith, high stakes, high emotions and some live paper rustling. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
It’s an all-singing, all-dancing Halloween celebration, spanning multiple creative disciplines and brought to you by five Halloween-loving guests. Split into four segments, Izzy and Anna learn about Halloween and horror across history, film, music, and costume and prosthetics. Notable highlights include: some 4th Century chanting monks, the beauty of fleeting things, an unwelcome curse, some bad goat costumes, the creepiness of Coraline, and the terms and conditions of vampirism. Settle down with some Halloween sweets and prepare to get spooky! See @downtoafineart.podcast on Instagram for the full list of mentions/recommendations. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa (and Adam Simcox)
This week Izzy and Anna tackle the small matter of how art impacts the world, whether it has a purpose, and what that purpose could be. They cover everything from political art to atomic bombs, even giving some questionable advice along the way (e.g. knit something, you’ll feel better). The combination of their low battery brains and excessively large questions results in, in Anna’s words, ‘a lot of chickens and eggs rolling round this episode’. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Hyped up on excessive amounts of Pick n Mix, Izzy and Anna approach this week’s episode as a kind of therapy session, getting all their worries out in a sugar fuelled panic and reflecting on how they feel in preparation for the start of third year. Among other things, they chat about the work they’ve made over summer (or lack thereof), the difficulties of fitting into either commercial or non-commercial art, and how graduation is basically a permanent holiday – but not in a fun way. Despite all the stressing, there’s a wholesome end as they share their excitement of the upcoming year and what they’re feeling good about, and Anna also takes a very unrelated detour that evolves into a segment about impressive vegetables. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Anna does some artist-friend matchmaking as Izzy gets to know this week’s guest – creative and fellow nature lover Beth Sykes. They discuss their mutual love of trees, natural materials, process-led art, and panic over life after graduation. There’s also a very wholesome artist exchange and they make plans to escape to Scotland together. To check out Beth’s art, see her Instagram @beth.sykes.art. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Brace yourself for an existential nightmare as Izzy and Anna tackle deep time. Join them for some profound moments and metaphors as they jump on the ‘deep time party bus’, battle with the ‘double edged deep time sword’ and float along the ‘deep time river’. But seriously, this episode unpicks big ideas that are central to both Izzy and Anna’s practices, as well as exploring how this affects them outside of their art. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode Izzy and Anna are joined by Joely Mae Greally, a Falmouth-based artist just back from her European travels which inspired her upcoming project Arts Culture Commune. Tune in for discussions on the accessibility of white cube galleries, alternative viewing arrangements, combining art with everyday life and the moveability of studio spaces. To find tickets for the debut exhibition of Arts Culture Commune on 11th September 2021 go to their Instagram @artsculturecommune, and to check out Joely’s personal practice see @joelymaegreally. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Ever wanted to find out the story behind Izzy and Anna’s arrival at Falmouth? Both include an early love of art, some beautiful childhood drawings and a previous attempt at university (spoiler alert: they both dropped out). They discuss their respective reasons for this decision and what they learnt from the process, as well as why they gravitated towards Falmouth and decided to give uni another shot. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Izzy and Anna are joined by Emma Booth, a self-described ‘creative’ with specialisms in photography and curation. Emma shares the goss on life as a pandemic graduate, juggling multiple creative pursuits and how to not lose your way when released from the support bubble of university. Tune in as they plough through everything from the crushing weight of artistic freedom to getting free wine at your exhibitions. Check out Emma’s work at www.emmaboothphoto.com and @emmaboothphoto on Instagram. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
(CW: non-graphic discussions around death) This week Izzy and Anna talk death: funeral arrangements, liminality and the afterlife. Bonus content includes Izzy clarifying that as a vegetarian she doesn’t eat badger and Anna considering the pitfalls of vampirism. In this episode, they’re asking for your input – head on over to their Instagrams to take part: @izzyfineart and @anna.harris.art. Buckle in for their longest episode yet! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this week’s podcast Izzy and Anna chat with guest Maddy Whitby, a science student with a love of theatre. Some previous themes re-emerge as they touch on the relationship between science and art, as well as delving into new territories to learn about the intricacies of theatre. Want to learn what roles there are in the theatre besides acting? Or why it’s a bad idea to swear in front of an orchestra? Then this episode is for you. Check out Maddy’s upcoming play Recipe for a Baby with Belly Up Theatre, as well as Sheffield University Theatre Company for more of her work! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Delving into the world of life away from uni, this week Izzy and Anna discuss plans for after graduation, expanding their practices outside of their studies, and Anna interviews Izzy about her pet portrait commissions. They get into the knitty gritty of prices, framing, material choices and the importance of having your fingers in lots of pies, plus the never-ending joys of networking. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Fellow student Paige Warrington joins Izzy and Anna for an artist interview. They cover Falmouth’s obsession with gherkins, the uncanny, a fear of colour, artist influences, ‘networking’, and then end with a slight spiral about life after graduation. Paige’s art can be found at @paige_warrington_art on Instagram, Paige Warrington on YouTube, and nigel4096.wixsite.com/website. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
In this episode Izzy and Anna pause for moment of reflection in the midst of deadline chaos, have a little catch up, see how they’re feeling about current assignments, how the podcast is going and what they hope the future holds. Spoiler alert: there are tears less than 5mins in. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
With deadlines coming up Izzy and Anna decide to kill two birds with one stone and do some essay prep on the podcast, discussing their chosen topics and reassuring each other that it isn’t too late to be at the planning stage (right?!). Some highlights include: it gets a bit existential, they say humanness a LOT, and Anna waves her hands around excessively trying to describe ‘thingness’. Plus there’s a dog cameo. It’s a good episode. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
This week Izzy and Anna are joined by two guests, Izzy Lawrence and Rae Badham, to discuss Art in relation to English and Science. What starts out as a simple Art and English vs Art and Science discussion soon turns into an overall unpicking of the school system as the group gets confused about what those subject divides even mean. Disclaimer: technology was not our friend this episode so enjoy the audio quality and general stressed undertones throughout! Check out our guests’ social media: @izzylawrenceart on Instagram and @rae_sdb on Twitter. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
On this week’s podcast Izzy and Anna invent a new game, questionably trying to link together their creative inspirations and actively not talk about their own practice. Artists mentioned: Solomon Kammer - @solomonkammer, Erica Van Loon - @erica_van_loon, Joel Sartore - @joelsartore, Rachel Sussman - @_sussman_, Harriet Lowther - @harriet_lowther, Katie Paterson - @katiempaterson. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
Izzy and Anna introduce the podcast, talk about their own practice and get vulnerable with their artistic insecurities. Get ready to hear the unprepared ramblings of two overwhelmed Fine Art students as they try and find their way in the art world (or just the world in general let's be honest). To see their art as they talk about it, check out their art Instagrams: @anna.harris.art and @izzyfineart . Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa