Some artists teach. Some artists build community. But Kimberley Pierce Cartwright does both with a depth of soul that you can feel the moment she starts speaking. In this episode, Kimberley shares her remarkable journey, from sewing childhood dolls on a treadle machine with no electricity to becoming a textile artist, teacher, ceramic artist, conference founder, and creative force in her community. We talk about what it means to begin before you’re “ready,” how imperfect studios still serve ...
This week, I’m talking with Alicia Díaz-Blevins, a fluid-art instructor, creative wellness mentor, and business consultant who turned her decades of corporate leadership experience into something beautiful, helping busy professionals decompress and reconnect with joy through art. Alicia shares how painting became her sanctuary during years of high-pressure corporate work, and how she now blends mindfulness, breathwork, and creative play to help her students feel calmer, grounded, and restore...
Some conversations stay with you long after the recording stops, and this one with Claudia Squio is absolutely that kind of episode. Claudia is the founder of ColorWay Arts, an online school and creative business built around Cartonnage, the beautiful art of crafting fabric-covered boxes, books, and heirloom pieces that hold memory, meaning, and love. But the real story here isn’t only about craft. It’s about starting over in a new country, learning a new language, finding joy in creativity,...
What happens when living your truth means losing the community you thought was yours? In this powerful and deeply personal episode, I sit down with Lisa Woolfork, founder of Black Women Stitch and host of the Stitch Please podcast, to discuss courage, integrity, and the cost of standing firmly by your values. Lisa shares her story of navigating racism in creative spaces, the heartbreak of rejection, and the freedom that followed when she chose to stop “auditioning her humanity” to belong. We...
This week on Creatives on Camera, I talk with Marcela Strasdas, a vibrant painter and art educator from Victoria, BC, whose creative journey proves that you don’t need perfection, you just need to start. Marcela shares how she built her first online course “one sticky note at a time,” testing her ideas in a backyard class before moving online. We discuss how to overcome tech fears, embrace imperfection, and cultivate confidence in front of the camera. Her story is full of practical advice for...
Sometimes, life delivers the most powerful lessons in unexpected ways. My guest, Marianne Gargour, knows this intimately. A professional artist and certified life coach, Marianne transformed her cancer journey into a creative calling, helping others use art, mindfulness, and conversation to move from stress and overwhelm into joy and connection. In this episode, Marianne shares her story of going from a fine artist focused on skill and performance to a creative mentor helping others embrace ...
I love conversations that remind us how creativity thrives not just in big cities or fancy studios, but in small towns, small spaces, and close-knit communities. In this episode, I talk with Beth Bluestein, owner of Sparrow Art Supply in Middlebury, Vermont. Beth shares how she turned a 750-square-foot art store into a vibrant creative hub, one that serves artists both in person and online. We talk about her journey from New York City to Vermont, how she launched her shop with a town grant, ...
Let’s be honest, building a creative business isn’t always easy. There are days when the tech breaks, the sign-ups don’t come, or you just feel tired and overwhelmed. I’ve been there too. In this episode, I talk about what keeps us going when it feels hard, the deeper why behind what we do, and how reconnecting with your core values can help you find steadiness again. I’ll walk you through simple, practical ways to stay grounded: writing down your values and keeping them visible, breaking big...
If you’ve ever wondered how to turn your craft into a sustainable business without losing your soul, this conversation is for you. I sat down with Anne Fjeld, a Norwegian knitting designer who transformed burnout and struggle into a thriving teaching business rooted in tradition, culture, and community. Anne shares how she found her “niche inside a niche” by focusing on Norwegian colorwork knitting for North American audiences, why letting her students speak created her most successful launch...
When I think about what it really takes to grow a creative business, the story of Sarah Hurley always comes to mind. Sarah started her brand with just £40 and a dream, and within five years, built it into a multi-million-dollar company with licensing, retail, and global partnerships. But her path wasn’t all smooth; she faced burnout, realigned, and rebuilt her business to focus on what truly mattered. In this episode, Sarah shares the lessons she’s learned about saying no to distractions, us...
When I first met Maria Coryell-Martin, I was struck by her adventurous spirit; she’s an expeditionary artist who has sketched walruses in Greenland, penguins in Antarctica, and built a business that now reaches creatives worldwide. In this episode of Creatives on Camera, I talk with Maria about how she turned necessity into invention, creating her first pocket watercolor palette while crawling through the sand to sketch wildlife, and how that small idea grew into Art Toolkit, a thriving busi...
Marketing often feels like the most challenging part of running a creative business, but it doesn’t have to. In this episode, Lyric Kinard talks with Amberleigh Adoff, a former art educator turned surface pattern designer, social media manager, and creative mentor. Amberleigh shares her journey from teaching to building a thriving creative business and offers practical, stress-reducing strategies for marketing. From working backward to plan your launches, to repurposing content instead...
I’m thrilled to share this week’s conversation with the incredibly creative Emma Brassfield of Studio 7t7. Emma’s career began in costume and special effects, working on blockbuster films like Harry Potter, Batman Begins, and Star Wars (yes, she made Chewbacca’s costume!). But when the demanding film industry no longer aligned with family life, she carved out a new path—turning her love of textiles into a thriving online business. Emma now designs bag patterns, runs a membership and subscript...
What do you do when the business that once lit you up starts to drain your energy? Nicole Stevenson has lived that journey, from selling art on the Venice Beach boardwalk to running a national clothing line, to becoming the founder of Craftcation Conference and Patchwork Show. In this conversation, Nicole shares how to recognize when it’s time to pivot, why feedback (even from a tiny audience) is pure gold, and how shifting your mindset from selling to serving can transform the way you marke...
Every creative business needs direction, and that’s where your North Star comes in. In this solo episode, I share how to dream big about the business and life you want, then break that vision down into systems and baby steps that actually move you forward. Your North Star should feel so big it scares you. You’ll probably never “stand on it”, but it can guide your decisions, give you clarity, and keep you moving. I’ll walk you through imagining your ideal business, identifying just three...
I’m thrilled to bring you artist‑turned‑tax expert Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax. We dig into the mindset piece (money is an amplifier), the simplest first steps to act like a real business (hello, separate bank account), and the practical systems that make tax time easy. Hannah walks us through her Money Bootcamp, the gorgeous “rainbow” deductions guide for creatives, and her new book Taxes for Humans—complete with visuals that finally make tricky concepts click. We also talk about online cour...
In the third episode of my On-Demand Platform Interview Series, I’m joined by Nicola Wynn from Podia, the platform I personally use for many of my on-demand classes. Nicola shares how Podia helps creatives simplify their tech, sell courses and digital products, and build stronger connections with their audience. We cover free migrations, built-in email marketing, webinars, blogging for growth, and how to keep momentum when the mid-project slump hits. Whether you’re launching your first course...
In this episode of Creatives on Camera, I sit down with Beth Gorishek, also known as The Adaptive Knitter, to talk about accessibility, creativity, and the power of making art available to everyone. Beth shares her journey of growing up with a limb difference, building a thriving business in the fiber arts industry, and how she helps makers adapt their craft after injury or disability. We dig into practical ways to make online classes more inclusive—from lighting and contrast to captions and ...
I’m so excited to share this conversation with my friend and fellow coach, quilter, and teacher, Tori McElwain. Tori and I talk about the real-life journey of building a creative business while juggling motherhood, military life, and burnout—and why she chose self-publishing to get her book Workshops Unleashed out into the world. Tori’s story is such a powerful reminder that you don’t need perfect gear or a polished plan to start teaching online. We dive into creating safe spaces for students...
How do creative educators actually get their content made and out the door without burning out or hiring a full team? In this second half of Lyric’s conversation with the Dream Team featuring HollyAnne Knight, Sarah Rivero Khandjian, and Corey Pearson, we leave the theory behind and dive into the nitty gritty. From camera hacks to content batching, real-time vs. scheduled posting, and tools that fit your brain, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you build a thriving crea...