Your art block isn't broken. The myth around it is.
You've probably heard it before: real artists suffer for their work. If you're not in pain, are you even trying? It's a story that's been sold to creatives for centuries, and someone is cashing in on it. In the newest episode of Your Art As A Spell, we ask the question most artists never stop to consider: who actually profits when you believe you have to suffer to be real?
Spoiler: it's not you.
What this episode covers
Drawing on over a decade of experience as a working artist, plus time spent behind the scenes at a Los Angeles treatment center, this episode unpacks:
Why the art market, institutions, and even the wellness industry all benefit from the "starving artist" narrative
How the tortured-genius myth was built inside a white, Western, mostly male tradition — yet is still used to judge marginalized artists today
Why joy, rest, and play aren't the opposite of serious art, but acts of resistance
What art block is really trying to tell you, and why it's often just a normal, cyclical part of the creative process, not a crisis that needs fixing
Why this episode matters right now
If you've ever felt guilty for making something joyful instead of "serious," or worried that healing might kill your creativity, this conversation offers a different way forward. It's a reminder that a well-rested, nurtured artist is harder to exploit, and that choosing ease over grinding through burnout is a political act, not a personal failing.
Watch or listen now
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