
What Is The Point Of Making Art, When The World Is On Fire?: w/ Martha Lamont & Damaris Athene
The Healthy ArtistShow Notes
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.
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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 thehealthyartist.com
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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 → 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