The Healthy Artist

What happens when you treat your creative space as a sacred shrine? This week, Martha sits down with mystic artist Critallina Fischetti to talk about her journey from Chelsea Art College to an old Victorian town hall in the Cotswolds.

We dive into how Cristallina uses ancient practices to ground herself before she even touches a canvas. We discuss her indigenous Colombian roots, viewing colour as a "code," and how a 2020 lockdown in Mexico led her to ditch traditional canvas for raw bedsheets, ropes, and homemade botanical dyes.

Cristallina also shares how she quietens the fearful voice of the ego in the studio, how her background in jazz dance helps her navigate the "creative headache," and the unexpected language she uses when speaking psychically to her paintings. If you're looking to bring more intuition and presence into your life and work, this episode is for you.

Follow Cristallina's journey on instagram or check out her website.

Read What Does It Mean to Leave Your Ego at the Studio Door? over on our substack- where you can find out how to support us too.

What is a studio for? Is it a physical room, or an active state of mind you carry with you?

In this episode, Henry and Martha talk about the history, rituals, and vulnerable realities of the modern creative workspace. They trace the pendulum from the collaborative factory workshops of the Renaissance to Courbet's bustling public square, straight to the myth of the lone genius in a Parisian garret.

But the real heart of the conversation is a very modern tension: how do you maintain the quiet, monastic privacy needed to figure out what you're making, while surviving the pressure of digital performance?

Sign up to our colour theory class here.

Join us over on substack here.

Check out all of The Healthy Artist happenings over on https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

Martha sits down with abstract painter and educator Henry Ward to discuss the raw reality of a lifetime studio practice. Henry shares insights from his 35-year journey, defining "refinement" as stripping away artistic baggage rather than chasing a slick, polished finish. Together, they explore the "Monday night genius, Tuesday morning crisis," the necessity of getting a painting into trouble, and why material compromise can actually be an artist's greatest catalyst for innovation. Henry also reflects on his parallel career in education, offering a refreshing and optimistic look at the daily compulsion to make art.

To view our Substack post on refinement please do so here.
To view what The Healthy Artist is up to, please check out our website.

Permindar Kaur built real momentum early- a spot in the 1995 British Art Show, shows across Japan, Australia, the US and Europe. Then, after her second child, she stepped away from the studio for a decade. In this episode she talks about what that break really felt like, why she always knew she'd come back, and what it took to rebuild a practice on her own terms rather than anyone else's timeline.

This week over on Substack we wrote some notes on persistence. Read here.

To check out more about the artists please follow her on instagram or visit her website.

For all healthy artist offering please visit our website https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

In today's episode Dan and Martha talk about art and burnout and the question underneath it: have you lost your appetite for the thing that got you into this in the first place?

Sometimes it shows up as burnout. Sometimes as a lack of confidence, or falling out of the habit of making while still yearning for a more exciting relationship to your work. These are some of the blocks we spend a lot of time working through with people in our mentorship, because showing up for your practice is a form of self-respect, even when you need someone alongside you to find that rhythm again.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Our six-month mentorship → https://thehealthyartist.com
• Companion post, "Notes on Artist Burnout, Passion as Exploitation, and The Art of Calm Ambition" → Link to Substack post
• The article that inspired this episode, by Harriet Lloyd-Smith → link to article

This week, I’m joined by North East-based trans and disabled artist Kitt (aka Lady Kitty) to talk about how art can be genuinely useful. We chat about growing up unschooled, how mess and collaboration connect us, and bypassing traditional galleries to make interactive art you can actually lie down on. We also dive into Kitt's drag alter ego ‘Hot Art Dad’ and how to use the "Wanker Tipping Point" to push past polite paralysis and demand the baseline support and access you deserve.

Links & Mentions:

• Mentoring with Kitt: Find out more
• Supporting Kitt's transition
• Our Substack: Read our longer-form piece expanding on today's chat (Hot Art Dads, The Wanker Tipping Point, and Mess-Making as Social Glue) over at Substack
• The Healthy Artist: Our new offerings are kicking off in September! Head to https://www.thehealthyartist.com/ for all the details.

Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time x

Ever stood in front of a gallery text and felt your eyes glaze over? You're not alone, and it's not you.

This week, Dan's back, and we're unpacking "art speak" (aka International Art English): where it came from, why almost nobody enjoys writing it, who it ends up excluding, and what to do instead.

Want help finding your own way to write about your work?

Our six-month, one-to-one Healthy Artist mentorship gives you dedicated time to deepen your practice and build momentum in the studio. On session 5 you have a 1.5 hour 1:1 with Dan about articulating and writing about your work in a way that feels authentic to you. If this sounds good to you, you can check out all of our offerings over on https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

To read our Substack reflection on this episode please do so here.

In this episode, we sit down with art critic and author Hettie Judah to discuss her brilliant new book, How to Enter the Art World. If you have ever felt completely frozen by the sheer volume of things you think you "should" be doing to build a creative career, this conversation is a massive breath of fresh air.
The Healthy Artist Website
How to Enter the Art World (Without Freezing) substack post.
Buy How To Enter The Art World from Hoxton Mini Press- They plant a tree every time someone buys the book from their site!

In this episode, we sit down with artist Khadija Ceclile Niang to explore how her practice bridges the gap between structured planning and pure intuition. Born in Norway to Senegalese parents, Khadija shares how discovering the rich connection between her family’s fishing heritage and the history of African surfing completely transformed her relationship with paint.

We also dive deep into a topic we are unpacking on Substack this week: Creative Variety. Khadijah discusses breaking free from the "monastic studio myth," learning to embrace multiple creative outlets like knitting, cooking, and DJing, and why having zero-pressure hobbies is actually the secret weapon to sustaining a deep artistic practice.
The Healthy Artist Substack Article
Khadija's substack
The Healthy Artist Website (with all offerings)

In this week's episode we dive deep into what it means to be successful and discuss how we can shift from a lack mentality when it comes to our creative paths. We discuss how to redefine ambition as a daily roadmap, rather than hyper-focusing on an imaginary 'sparkly castle' that we want to arrive at. "Man plans, and god laughs" is a quote we reflect on and how leaning into the everyday is the most healthy way of living.

Read our Substack recflection here: The View From the Mountain: Breaking Free from Creative Scarcity

Our Summer courses and mentorship

What happens to your creative practice when your body suddenly forces you to stop?

In this episode, Martha sits down with artist Sophie Smorzweski to discuss her "Kitchen Table" series and the profound impact of periods of illness on her work. Sophie opens up about navigating this at the age of 18, experiencing periods of isolation as "mini lockdowns," and how the kitchen table transformed from a symbol of confinement into a powerful site of healing and artistic recovery.

If you would like more content by The Healthy Artist, sign up to our newsletter through our website alongside joining our substack community.

If you are interested in joining our 6-month Mentorship programme, learn more here.

In this month's Wellness Journal, Martha Lamont and guest co-host Damaris Athene break the silence around two of the most isolating feelings in the studio: jealousy and comparison. Unpacking Julia Cameron’s famous quote on the topic, they discuss handling the reality of rejections, projection and the 'compare-and-despair' trap, alongside the huge disconnect between a successful Instagram grid and a difficult lived reality.

🌿 Grab your free copy of The Healthy Artist Studio Workbook

✨ Apply for our 1-to-1 Rolling Mentorship

In this episode, we continue the conversation on motherhood through a deeply personal lens.

Eri, a Japanese artist living in Paris, shares her experience of navigating pregnancy while being confronted with unresolved parts of her own upbringing. As she describes it, it can feel like opening a dark box, one that asks you to face old patterns and question the kind of parent you want to become.

There are echoes of Eleanor’s story from Part 1, but Eri brings her own perspective, shaped by her life, her practice, and her cultural context.

Together, we explore what it means to challenge inherited ideas of parenting, and how those inner shifts can reshape not only motherhood, but how we show up as artists and individuals.

Join our community on substack
https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

In this episode, we unpack the role of criticism in an artist’s practice: how to receive it, how to give it, and how to keep creating through it.

When is feedback helpful, and when does it start to pull you away from your own voice? We talk about trusting your instincts, recognising useful critique, and those rare moments when feedback sparks a real shift in the work.

We have opened up 5 mentorship slots, starting in May. For more details visit: https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

Grab a pen, or a notepad… or open a notes app and give yourself a bit of space. As we go, I’ll be asking you some questions and I’d really encourage you to pause the podcast after each one… give yourself the time to actually sit with it… and respond. Even though this is a short episode, I would give yourself 30-60 mins with the pauses. If you would like to share your reflections please do email thehealthyartistpod.com. We will send the questions out on our newsletter and share them on substack. Please do share this episode if you feel another creative could do with a moment of pause and reflection.

Head over to https://www.thehealthyartist.com/for info on offerings.

In this episode of The Healthy Artist, we’re exploring a feeling many artists quietly carry but don’t always speak about, this sense that making art can feel pointless, indulgent, or even unnecessary when there is so much difficulty happening in the world.

Together, we sit with that discomfort and look at where it comes from: guilt, productivity culture, attention, and the pressure to justify creativity. We also reflect on how making art can be reframed not as self-indulgence, but as something deeply human- an act of connection, agency, and meaning-making.

We reference ideas from Aimee McNee's ted talk which you can watch here.

If you’ve ever questioned the value of your creative practice, this is a gentle conversation to sit with.

For all of The Healthy Artist offerings, please check out our website.

In this weeks episode we explore motherhood with Eleanor May Watson. Eleanor shares how her first child made her confront barriers she put in her own way in her practice and her journey in letting go and becoming a stronger painter. Eleanor bravely shares the struggles alongside the triumph, and we are beyond grateful for her honesty.

Follow her work at @eleanormaywatson and https://eleanormaywatson.co.uk/

For all the offering from The Healthy Artist please head over to our website.

In this weeks episode Martha connects with Damaris on her residency in Stavanger. After catching up on their wellness this month they dive into the theme of "The Fear Of Being Seen", covering topics such as the ideas that fuel the work, how we approach writing personal statements and titles for artworks, social media and creative boundaries. Martha also shares details on the first London Meet-up that she is hosting with usual co-host Dan Curtis this weekend and offering The Healthy Artist have. You can check them out on https://www.thehealthyartist.com/.

In this episode of The Healthy Artist we interviewed Ken Nwadiogbu, we explore how to stay grounded in the everyday while holding big dreams. How do you dream boldly without rushing the process?

We talk about creating without pressure, mapping the journey instead of chasing outcomes, and why abstraction became a powerful language in his work. He shares how he built an artist community in Nigeria, what success has meant so far, and how meaningful it’s been to have his family recognize his dream as valuable.

We also reflect on studio rituals and the quiet practices that keep an artist grounded.

As he says, “Being present isn’t ignorance of the dream.”

Explore all offerings from The Healthy Artist at https://www.thehealthyartist.com/

In this episode, Martha Lamont is joined by artist Valentino Vannini for a conversation about using art as a way to understand ourselves and the world around us. Together they explore social engagement in art, working with materials that carry meaning, queering structure and form, and how vulnerability, humour, and imperfection can open up new ways of connecting with an audience.

To sign up to The Healthy Artist newsletter or see what creative offering they have, head over to https://www.thehealthyartist.com/