In this episode, I’m sharing a broad overview of NFTs specifically from an artist’s perspective. I’ve been exploring the space for a few months now, and the learning curve has been both steep and exciting. My aim is to answer some common questions, challenge a few assumptions, and ultimately give you enough information start exploring the space yourself.

Some of the questions I’ll be exploring include:

• Why engage with art NFT’s in the first place?
• Isn’t the space only for digital art? How is this relevant to those of us who work with physical materials?
• And what about the environmental costs, scammers, and flippers?

Personally, I believe that this technology is creating revolutionary opportunities for artists including;

• Changing how artists get paid, including life-long royalties
• Fostering a new culture of artists and collectors
• Building new audiences for art

And a host of other benefits that I’ll dig into as we go. So let’s dive in!

CASSILS is a visual artist working in live performance, film, sound, sculpture and photography. They have achieved international recognition for a rigorous engagement with the body as a form of social sculpture – So what does this look like in practice?

It means creating powerful works of art across a host of media, often with a strong performative element; this includes undergoing a gruelling physical transformation to gain 23 pounds of muscle in 23 weeks, or saving all their urine for 200 days, or being set on fire by a stunt team. And we dig into the meaning behind each of these in the interview.

Each of Cassils artworks is rooted in deep conceptual, often political, explorations. And although they often involve a degree of risk, they are never reckless – a distinction Cassils is very clear to make.

Some of the topics we covered in this conversation include:

• The rigorous approach applied to creating new pieces of work

• Responding to prompts: how they’ve created work in response to both commissions and emerging cultural and political events

• How they think about risk, and why it’s become a feature in their work

• Why performing live in front of an audience has been integral to many their pieces

And we finish with a brilliant Creative Challenge that really asks us to consider the power of our skills as artist, and how we choose to use it.

I started the conversation by jumping straight in and asking Cassils for some context on how they navigate the process of taking an idea into a completed work. Please enjoy.

This conversation is with Kate Malone, one of the UK’s leading ceramic artists with an illustrious career spanning thirty years. Her work is inspired by the joy and optimism of Nature, and often features large, hand-made pieces inspired by fruit, nuts, berries and pumpkins.

Much of her work is coloured by the addition of crystalline glazes, and she is renowned for her research and experimentation in this area. And we dig into in the episode.

Her exuberant work has won her an array of commissions and collaborations, including major public art projects. Kate was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to ceramic art.

Some of the topics we cover in this conversation include:

• Managing risk and uncertainty both in her studio based practice, as well as when undertaking ambitious public art projects

• Developing confidence as a maker and finding your own artistic voice

• How she thinks about selling her work in an elite marketplace

And we finish with an absolutely brilliant creative challenge to apply to your own practice.

So please enjoy this energizing and thought provoking conversation.