Allowing the Work to Lead: Intuition, Energy & Evolution with Ekaterina Popova

What does it mean to build a fulfilling career in the arts while continuing to prioritize your own creative practice? Victoria sits down with Indira Cesarine, multidisciplinary artist, curator, and founder of The Untitled Space, The Untitled Magazine, and Art for Equality, for an inspiring conversation about creative experimentation, career evolution, and making space for your art. Indira shares her journey from fashion photography to founding a contemporary art gallery dedicated to championing women artists and underrepresented voices. Together, Victoria and Indira explore the freedom of working across multiple mediums, overcoming creative limitations, and finding balance while navigating a multifaceted career in the arts.

Victoria opens up about navigating self-doubt, releasing perfectionism, and learning to move forward even when confidence feels out of reach. Drawing from recent experiences in her own life and career, she reflects on the pressure to have it all figured out, why confidence isn't always linear, and the importance of recognizing when to push forward and when to give yourself permission to rest. A candid reminder that you don't have to feel fearless or have everything figured out to keep growing. To learn more about Victoria's 1:1 Mentorship Program, visit: visionaryartcollective.com/mentorship To enroll in The Visionary Community, visit: visionaryartcollective.com/visionary-community-enroll Victoria J. Fry is a New York City–based painter, educator, curator, and founder of Visionary Art Collective, New Visionary Magazine, and Warnes Contemporary. She has supported thousands of artists through exhibitions, publications, and mentorship. Instagram: @visionaryartcollective / @warnescontemporary / @newvisionarymag Newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter

In this thoughtful conversation, multimedia artist Stella Chang shares how creativity became a powerful tool for healing, self-reflection, and reconnecting with herself after a lupus diagnosis changed the course of her life. Stella reflects on her journey from a nearly two-decade career in fashion back to fine art, and how mindfulness, meditation, and creative practice have helped her navigate chronic illness and build greater resilience. Here’s what we discuss: Using art as a tool for healing, self-reflection, and processing difficult experiences Letting go of productivity and embracing the creative process without attachment to the outcome Cultivating mindfulness, resilience, and self-trust through a consistent creative practice Stella’s Through the Looking Glass series and the role of imagination in navigating challenging experiences Bringing meditation principles into art-making and helping others reconnect with their innate creativity Stella Chang is a multimedia artist based in Jersey City whose work explores healing, mindfulness, memory, and the transformative potential of creativity. After earning her BFA from NYU, Stella spent nearly two decades working in the fashion industry before a lupus diagnosis led her to return to her fine art practice. Drawing from her own experiences with chronic illness and childhood trauma, she uses painting, drawing, and mindful creative practices to explore imagination, resilience, and our ability to reconnect with ourselves through art. Her current work also incorporates principles of meditation, encouraging others to use creativity as an accessible pathway toward mindfulness and self-reflection. Website: artbystellachang.com IG: @artbystellachang Learn More about Stella's Work -

In this insightful conversation, artist and arts professional Kelly Olshan shares her journey of founding the Arts Career Incubator and her approach to helping artists build meaningful, sustainable careers. We discuss strategic planning, relationship building, grants, entrepreneurship, and the importance of defining success on your own terms. Here’s what we discuss: How to define success and strategically plan your creative career Building and maintaining meaningful relationships in the art world Navigating grants, professional development, and creative entrepreneurship Kelly’s journey from working in arts organizations to founding the Arts Career Incubator Creating opportunities by making your goals and interests visible to others Kelly Olshan is an artist and arts professional and the founder and director of the Arts Career Incubator, an initiative providing accessible professional development programming for artists and creatives across disciplines and career stages. Throughout her career, she has worked with organizations including the New York Foundation for the Arts, Queens Council on the Arts, Creative Capital, and Art21, supporting artists through professional development and career-building programs. As a practicing artist herself, Kelly brings firsthand experience to her work with creatives, including her recent museum commission with the Long Island Children’s Museum. Through the Arts Career Incubator, she offers intensive programs, workshops, and one-on-one support designed to help artists develop the practical tools and strategies needed to build careers on their own terms. Website:artscareerincubator.com IG: @artscareerincubator

In the first episode of Season 4, Victoria reflects on a summer of unexpected challenges, creative growth, and important realizations about how she wants to live and work moving forward. She explores what it means to do less but go deeper, from simplifying her business and making space for rest to reconnecting with her studio practice and letting go of fear and control. This episode invites artists to consider what they want to protect, what they’re ready to release, and how small acts of creativity can help us stay connected to ourselves during seasons of change. To learn more about Victoria's 1:1 Mentorship Program, visit: visionaryartcollective.com/mentorship To enroll in The Visionary Community, visit: visionaryartcollective.com/visionary-community-enroll Victoria J. Fry is a New York City–based painter, educator, curator, and founder of Visionary Art Collective, New Visionary Magazine, and Warnes Contemporary. She has supported thousands of artists through exhibitions, publications, and mentorship. Instagram: @visionaryartcollective / @warnescontemporary / @newvisionarymag Newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter