In this episode of the 'Show Up or Shut Up' podcast, Wendy Solganik interviews Carrie Smith, an artist and new instructor in Fodder School 4. Carrie reflects on her 12-year teaching career, her evolution into a collage artist inspired by her daughter, and her global travels that deeply influence her art. The discussion covers Carrie's experiences w…

In this episode of the 'Show Up or Shut Up' podcast, host Wendy engages with artist Stephanie Lee in an enlightening discussion about her life, creative process, and personal evolution. Growing up in Southern Oregon, Stephanie speaks about balancing her artistic passion with life on a mini farm, and her unique use of Plaster of Paris. They explore …

In Season 4, Episode 7 of the Show Up or Shut Up Podcast, host Wendy Solganik sits down with mixed media artist and former teacher Tracey Wozniak. They explore Tracey's extensive background in art, her role as a homeschooling mother, and her re-engagement with Fodder School as an instructor. The discussion covers Tracey’s creative evolution towards…

In this episode of the Show Up or Shut Up podcast, host Wendy Solganik engages in a deep conversation with artist Amanda Trought, who is joining Fodder School 4 as an instructor. Amanda shares her diverse art journey, encompassing mixed media projects and large sculptural works displayed at Queen's Park Gallery in Barbados. She delves into the ther…

In this episode of the 'Show Up or Shut Up' podcast, host Wendy Solganik interviews artist Sally Hirst. They discuss Sally's upcoming role as an instructor in Fodder School 4, and explore her unique artistic journey. Sally shares insights into her life, from her chaotic childhood and self-education in London’s museums, to her late arrival at Cambri…

In Season 4, Episode 4 of the 'Show Up or Shut Up' podcast, host Wendy Solganik speaks with artist Rebecca Chapman about her dynamic career in art and art education. Rebecca shares her evolution from a love for collage and her participation in Fodder School to incorporating photography, inspired by her father, into her mixed media work. The convers…

This episode features Jack Ravi, a Mixed Media Artist and Co-author of the book Artful Memories, who shares his personal journey from Northern Italy to living in Scotland and embracing a life of creativity. Jack reminisces about studying the history of art at the University of Milan, transitioning to London for work, and finally moving to Scotland …

Karen Elaine is a mixed media artist, author, and teacher with a passion for paper crafts and origami.Her passion is inspiring creativity in others. She has been a working artist and instructor for over 30 years, including doing 35 episodes of the Carol Duvall Show in the 1990s!Karen has a wealth of knowledge about art supplies because she has been…

Join Wendy and artist Sarah Gardner as they discuss Sarah's new course on Willa Workshops: Love Your {Imperfect} Art Journal. Sarah is a mixed media artist and art journaler who recently had her book, "Share Your Joy: Mixed Media Sharable Art," published. Sarah has been creating mixed media art for almost two decades and she has so much wisdom to s…

Susanne Randers from @mitkrearum on Instagram ("mitkrearum" means "my creative space" in Danish is a flower power soul and mixed media paper lover - always inspired by nature. Susanne rediscovered her creativity in 2013, created 365 mood boards in 2014, made a flower doodle a day in 2015 and ever since she has hosted in person workshops in Denmark …

As a mixed media artist and teacher, Chris believes in fostering an authentic spirit of inquiry and exploration to develop rich creative experiences. Chris paints, photographs, assembles, stitches and dyes her way through exploratory processes that weave their stories into her life's journey. Art and life work co-constructively to guide and ground …

Shay Michelle Kent is a mixed media artist and teacher living in Tampa, Florida. She loves to teach art workshops that help people use creativity for self-exploration and find freedom while making art. Shay's students say it feels like a spa for their creative souls. She invites you to come to class with her, where you can let go, explore, and have…

Yetunde Rodriguez is a Nigerian-American Printmaker, Abstract, and Multi-media Artist. Her work celebrates her love of color, pattern, texture and detail. These aspects of Yetunde's work pay homage to her Nigerian culture and heritage, while being firmly planted in the privilege of her American life. Yetunde is constantly motivated by the thought o…

Raised in the diverse beauty of South Africa; moving from South Africa to Berlin Germany, to the UK, and now to the USA; Di Venter has always found her feet - and met her tribe - in her new space through art and creating. Never one to take the rules as unbreakable, Di likes to learn them, and then challenge them. She loves playing with fabric in he…

Kecia Deveney is a published mixed media artist, instructor, and world traveler, living at the Jersey Shore. As a mixed media artist, her eclectic style can be seen in fabric and textiles, jewelry design, sculpture-work, and painting. Creating is pivotal to Kecia and becomes, for her, art therapy. Her imagination comes to life and allows her tempor…

Alison Bomber chose the name Words and Pictures for her blog and then later for Instagram because those are the two worlds she inhabits. She is a freelance creative working with both words and pictures.Alison's first creative career was as a text and voice coach in the theatre, specializing in Shakespeare. She is fascinated by the power of words, a…

Barb Smucker is a mixed media artist who enjoys layering collage papers and paint to create surprising results. Adding lines, textures, shapes and colors onto a page or canvas allows her to experiment and find enjoyment in the discovery. When you look at her work, she hopes you see the play, the search, and a sense of harmony and spontaneity that s…

Jennifer Wilkin Penick's introduction to collage was in early childhood, when her mother cut up magazine pages and invited her to make "mosaics" from them, using paste and a small tin brush. Living for decades in Italy as an adult gave her weekly access to the vintage paper vendors of Rome's legendary flea market. She studied studio art and art his…

Suzanne is a multi-passionate artist who lives in Eastern Iowa with her husband. She has two adult children (who happen to be twins).Professionally, she has been a multi-talented wizard (aka school secretary), longarm machine quilter, stay-at-home mom, bank technology manager, computer network installer, t-shirt seller, and library page. (She shelv…

Join me and fellow recovering people-pleaser Cynthia Frenette for a lot of reality and laughter. Warning: this episode has a lot of F-bombs! You can find Cynthia and all of her pretty, laugh-out-loud designs, on Instagram @cynthiafrenette and at her website cynthiafrenette.com. You are going to love her style, her story and her sense of humor!…

Are you an art journaler, bullet journaler, or mixed media artist that just doesn’t feel confidence when writing in your chosen journal? It doesn’t have to be this way. Listen to this episode and find out why! For all the information about my new lettering course, Love Your (Imperfect) Letters, please visit HTTPS://Willa-workshops.com/p/love-your-i…

I’ve got big news! Megan Quinlan’s first ever solo course, Journal Into Your Art, is now live on the Willa Workshops! Join Megan and me as we discuss exactly what this handmade book and art journaling course is all about. Check out the course at https://Willa-workshops.teachable.com/p/journal-into-your-art-with-megan-quinlan…

Are you an artist and art instructor who wonders if it’s okay for you to take other artists’ courses? Or if it’s okay for you to teach something that was inspired by another artist’s work or what you learned from them in a class you took? Is it okay to tag another artist while also promoting your own thing? In this episode, Sarah Gardner and I disc…

Faigie Kobre is a former early childhood teacher and director. She developed a passion for art in early childhood and gave workshops for early childhood schools and teachers on helping kids thrive through art that is developmentally appropriate.Faigie also spent 25 years as a high end portrait photographer. She switched careers in midlife to become…

It’s August of 2022 and I’m back talking all things Instagram again. Given how much Instagram has changed and the users’ outcry over how badly the platform sucks right now, I’m here to offer my thoughts, plus some tips to customize your user experience and try to get back that loving feeling, if even just a little bit.…

Join me for this short episode where I have a very impromptu chat with my friend Karen Hilsberg, artist, psychologist and Buddhist about the intersection between healing, creative practice and mindfulness. You can find Karen on Instagram @K_abby7.

Join me as I rant about the Instagram Reels problem and try to figure out how to keep Instagram the happy, inspirational community connection place that it has been for visual artists of all types. You can find out more about me at willawanders.com.

This is the story of Fodder School, from one person’s perspective. For even MORE information about Fodder School, please visit willawanders.com or drop me an email at willaworkshops@gmail.com.

In Episode 3 of Season 2 of the Show Up or Shut Up Podcast, I answer the question of “what options do I have if I’m feeling anxious from the collage fodder piling up all around me?”

In this episode, I explore my thoughts on Instagram Reels, and how they have effected both my experience as a user and as a prolific content creator on the platform. I give suggestions for how to manage your own user experience on Instagram and what to be careful not to do if you are creating Reels. Thank you to @tiffanysimplysharpe, @rebeccachapma…

Roben-Marie Smith provides ideas, inspiration and quality instruction for hobbyists and art entrepreneurs. She teaches artists from beginners to those making a living from their art through her blog and her popular online workshops.Both in and out of the studio, Roben-Marie’s passion is helping her fellow creatives step into their full potential by…

Ricki Midbrod, prolific mixed media maker and self-acceptance warrior, can be found on Instagram @ricki_ticky_tavy and in her Etsy shop, TheBricolageFactory.

Have you ever wondered what the purpose is in creating mixed media art outside of the joy it brings into your own life? Join us in our 24th episode of the Show Up or Shut Up podcast where Tamara James of @edenscanvas on Instagram shares her deeply meaningful answer to the eternal question of “what to do with my mixed media art pieces?”…

Art Bundles for Good is coming and I have a story I’d like to share with you. It involves a couch, the Netflix documentary Daughters of Destiny and a school in India called Shanti Bhavan.

Is creativity all fun for you or is it causing you to stress out? Do you feel as if you are buying too much stuff to the point where it is no longer helpful? Do you feel as if you are “doing it wrong” from the amount of time you spend or don’t spend actually creating? Would you like to join a private Facebook Group where we discuss all issues relat…

In the 21st episode of the Show Up or Shut Up Podcast, Marie Kirby and I explore the dark side of being a prolific maker during this new time of social media. From the pressure to post on Instagram every day to the pressure to be positive no matter how you are really feeling, and so many more unfortunate pressures many of us have now placed on ours…

Sarah Gardner is a mixed media artist who loves creating in her art journal and sharing her art with others. She has been swapping postcards and ATCs for many years. She has discovered that being creative, that making stuff, is a very fulfilling and beneficial activity, contributing to her well-being. The joy of creative play, and art journaling in…

Tiffany Sharpe enjoys making books and sharing her love of art with others. She learned the joy of crafting at an early age, and continued to quilt and knit as she taught high school chemistry and middle school science. It was not until later in life that Tiffany discovered her love of watercolor and mixed media. Like many others, she found that ma…

Tania Ahmed is a freelance art and craft content creator, video maker and teacher based in the UK. Over the years, she has blended her multicrafts experience to hone her mixed media and papercraft work. Originally from Pakistan, Tania draws her inspiration from diverse cultures, bright colours, bold graphic design, and eclectic patterns. She has be…

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is an artist living and working outside of Boston, MA. Her business, Balzer Designs, is focused on helping others be more creative with more confidence. Julie believes that curiosity is the key to creativity and she shares this philosophy in her art workshops, during creative coaching sessions, and across social media.You can f…

Mancunian born Liz Constable made New Zealand her home in 1989. A curious creator known for her love of experimenting, keeps Liz’s art practice fresh as she delves into her creativity pushing through boundaries. Teaching has been the one constant throughout her three businesses as an early childhood centre owner, a career/life coach and now a teach…

A client recently said to Laurie, “Everyone should have a Laurie Jacobsen in their back pocket!” Laurie loves being that for people…their back-pocket business advisor. Every product she creates is designed to make make small business owners’ lives easier, to remove technology stress, & help them find ways to easily grow their business. Her goal for…

Caylee Grey is the host of Get Messy and a South African perfectionist currently pursuing imperfection.More often than not, you’ll find her nurturing creativity as the resident Fairy Artmother for her growing community of artists in Get Messy, swapping bad puns with her very patient husband, wrestling her son’s snacks away from her tiny but determi…

Roxanne Padgett has been creating stuff and making messes since she was 4 or 5 years old using whatever materials she could find around the house. Usually it was paper, magazines, old books, tape, glue and items collected from nature. She does the same thing today but now we call it "Mixed Media". She believes that everyone is creative and she love…

Melanie April is a curious, creative thinker who likes to tinker with water and color.She enjoys a quiet life in southwest Florida.Nature and the mystical are constant inspirations for her paintings and life. Color is her guide. She aspires to have her work and classes make people feel good and remember the simple and beautiful things that are all …

Creativity has always been a large part of Leaca’s* life. She believes that everyone is a creative, some people just have not discovered their passion yet. Her goal is to share the message, “Go Forth and Create!”Mixed media is her love. She thrives on the freedom of working in any Leaca combines watercolor, ink, acrylics, fabrics-everything is fair…

Ali has been blogging about paper crafts and book arts since the internet dark ages of 2007. Teaching others to express their creativity through handmade books is her greatest joy. She believes that anyone can create a handmade book and it shouldn’t require expensive tools or equipment. Her students appreciate the way she breaks down the most compl…

Aimee is a lifelong creative and maker. Finding solace and healing within the pages of her own journal she decided that sharing this most precious process with others was one of her greatest passions. She has hosted in person gatherings and workshops, taught online and built 2 beautiful and nurturing public studio spaces where people could come and…

Join Wendy and Seth as they discuss Seth’s 20 year journey as a prolific mixed media artist and then traveling instructor. You can find Seth at http://Seth Apter.com and Wendy at http://willawanders.carrd.co

My thoughts and on a letter I received from a listener who is in a real artistic funk.