Extraordinary Creatives

You leave the event. At first, it’s fine. And then, somewhere between the coat rack and the journey home, it starts -  That conversation, that sentence, that moment you wish you could rewind. Why did I say that? That sounded awkward. I should’ve said something else. They probably think I’m ….

And just like that, the whole night begins to shift. Not as it happened, but as a story about what you got wrong. We’ve been building this over the last few episodes: what stops you going, what happens when you’re in the room, how you see yourself when you’re there. This is what happens afterwards - the replay, the spiral.  

This isn’t reflection. It’s rumination. And if you’re a creative person, you are particularly good at it, because your job is to imagine, to create meaning, to connect dots, to tell stories. Memory and imagination sit very close together in the brain. 

So, when something feels uncomfortable, you don’t just remember it. You reconstruct it. You fill in the gaps, you add interpretation, you build a narrative. 

And that narrative feels real, even when it’s not accurate.  

Today, I unpack why your post‑event spiral feels so convincing, how it quietly keeps you out of the rooms you want to be in, and share 3 practical ways to interrupt the loop so you can follow up and show up without the cringe.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Artists rarely just leave an event. They are brilliant at rewriting it. That one sentence, that one look becomes: “I got that wrong.” “They weren’t interested.” Not because it happened that way, but because your brain decided it did.


When a warped version of how the night went is the only one you listen to, it doesn’t just make you cringe - it quietly edits your future. You don’t follow up, you don’t go back, you stay out of rooms you should be in - your career stalls.


Subtly shifting how you think about an event is all that is needed to get things back on track.

BEST MOMENTS

“Rumination is not about solving problems. It's about trying to reduce uncertainty and emotional discomfort - the mind loops not to find truth but to try and regain control.”

“The shift is - change your relationship to the thought. Instead of I got that wrong, try I'm having the thought that I got that wrong.”

“Give yourself a more grounded version of the event.”

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

****

Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!

https://cerihand.com/membership/

****

Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course

Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.

https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/

****

Book a Discovery Call Today

To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]

****

Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity

Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk

Today’s episode takes us out of the white cube and into the open air.

My guest is Sarah Carrington, Director of The Line, the public art trail connecting Greenwich to Stratford along the waterways of East London. If you’ve ever stumbled across an unexpected sculpture beside a canal, or discovered art while simply walking through the city, then you already understand the quiet magic of what The Line does.

With more than two decades working across curating, public art and cultural strategy, Sarah has helped shape an organisation dedicated to bringing art into people’s everyday lives. In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to bring ambitious public artworks into being, how commissions evolve over years, and how artists can begin building relationships with organisations like The Line.

If you’re curious about working in the public realm or simply love the idea of discovering art as you move through the city, this episode offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes.

And Sarah and I are also inviting you to meet us in person.

On Monday 13 July 2026, we’ll be hosting a special Membership event at Cody Dock, where Sarah will introduce the thinking behind The Line, share insights into commissioning public art, and highlight key works along the route before we walk together through the sculptures.

If that sounds like your kind of day, please do click the link in the show notes to join the Membership or visit cerihand.com to join us.

For now, settle in and enjoy this conversation with Sarah Carrington.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


When art lives in the places we walk every day, like The Line does, it stops being somewhere we “go” and becomes something we live alongside. The work comes alive on the viewers terms.


The best public artworks don’t just decorate a place. They provoke questions. They connect people. They create moments where strangers stop, look, and talk to one another.


Public art is a long game: you build relationships, stay with it, and you don’t treat the first “no” as the final word - you innovate and adapt.

BEST MOMENTS

“When they come to The Line, they connect with one another, and they connect with themselves in a new way.”

“That great public art doesn’t appear overnight. Behind every sculpture or installation, you encounter in the landscape are years of thinking, research, partnerships, and conversations.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://the-line.org

HOST BIO

With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

**

Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!

https://cerihand.com/membership/

**

Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course

Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.

https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/

**

Book a Discovery Call Today

To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]

****

Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity

Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly thought: They all know more than me. They’re further ahead. They’re more established. They’ve got better work, better contacts, better everything.

And before you’ve even opened your mouth… You’ve already decided your position.

Somewhere near the bottom.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been looking at what stops you in these spaces. First, the story you tell yourself before you go.  Then, how you interpret what’s happening when you’re there.

This week is something deeper.

What you believe about yourself in that room. This isn’t about the room. It’s about comparison without context.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


When you walk into a room as an artist, it’s so easy to decide everyone else is more established, more connected, more interesting – and quietly put yourself at the bottom before you’ve even opened your mouth.


Comparing without context is holding you back. You are taking other people’s outside (their confidence, their contacts, their ease in the room) and putting it next to how you feel inside - You have no idea how long it took them, how many awkward nights they’ve had, or how often they’ve thought, “I don’t belong here,” too.


Instead of shrinking and slipping away early, use Ceri´s SHOW checklist - See that you’re comparing without the full picture, Hold your physical ground, Offer one small, honest contribution, and Wait before you judge how it went. Learn to stay in the room and build real confidence, one moment at a time.

BEST MOMENTS

"You're taking a snapshot of someone else's career, confidence or presence and placing it next to your internal experience. And of course, you lose because you're comparing their outside with your inside, you see someone speaking confidently."

"Let me be really clear, this does not go away. You can be experienced. You can be established. You can have done the thing you once dreamed of and still walk into a room and think, I'm not sure I belong here."

"If you always assume you're the least interesting person in the room, you'll behave like it, and then you'll use that behaviour as proof."

“In one conversation, offer something not perfect, not polished, just something - because that's how you start to gather new evidence.”

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

****

Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!

https://cerihand.com/membership/

****

Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course

Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.

https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/

****

Book a Discovery Call Today

To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]

****

Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity

Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Have you ever left an event and thought: "My God, those people are dull." "People were so rude." "No one made me feel welcome." "Blimey, I’m not doing that again." And by the time you get home, it’s not just the event. It’s confirmation - "The art world isn’t for me."

But if that’s the story you keep leaving with… it’s worth asking what’s really going on – After all, not everyone in that room can be an arsehole.

What you think you’re reading in a room is often not the room at all. Your brain is wired to detect threat. Not physical threat. Social threat.

A look. A short answer. A pause. And your brain fills in the gaps: “They’re not interested.” “I’ve said the wrong thing.” “I don’t belong here.”

So, you withdraw. You close down. You leave early.

And just like that… you’ve created the very experience you were trying to avoid and stop attending events – and miss out on all that they offer.

 

That’s the loop.

This week - I’m giving you a simple way to interrupt that negative loop.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Your negative read of a room (e.g., “everyone is rude,” “this world isn’t for me”) is often not an accurate reflection of what is going on.


Your brain isn’t passively reading reality; it’s predicting based on past experiences and filling in gaps. What you feel in a moment is a mix of what’s happening now and what your brain expects to happen.


Asking “What else could this mean?” gives you a more open, less fear-driven interpretation.


Ceri’s KIND process is a simple, four-step way to interrupt the automatic “they don’t like me/I don’t belong” story. It helps you stay open, calm your body, and take one small extra action so you can create new, more accurate experiences instead of confirming old fears.

BEST MOMENTS

“What you feel in a moment isn't just what's happening now, it's what your brain expects is happening. So instead of asking, what did that mean? Try what else could this mean?”

“Honestly, in a room full of creative people, it simply cannot be true that every single one is an asshole, it just can't. – So, if that's the story you're walking in with, it's worth asking, Is this the room, or is this my lens?”

“She wasn't being excluded. She was reacting to a micro moment of uncertainty as if it were rejection.”

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

****

Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!

https://cerihand.com/membership/

****

Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course

Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.

https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/

****

Book a Discovery Call Today

To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]

****

Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity

Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

There’s something I hear all the time from artists, and it sounds very reasonable on the surface. “If I go to that event, it’s going to drain me", "I won’t have the energy.”  “I’ll feel awkward.” 

Sometimes you are genuinely exhausted, and the most intelligent thing you can do is not push through, but actually attend to your body, your mind, your nervous system.

That’s not avoidance. That’s care.

But what I’m noticing more and more is that many artists aren’t making decisions from current exhaustion. They’re making decisions from anticipated exhaustion - From memory.

Your brain looks at past experiences, and it says: “Last time this felt uncomfortable.” “Last time I felt out of place.” “I didn´t know what to say” - So, let’s not do that again.

Before you’ve even left the house, your body has already decided:  “This is going to be draining.” -  “This is not for me.”

That pattern doesn’t just shape whether you go - It shapes how you experience the room when you’re in it.

This  episode is about something deeper than networking.

It’s about who you are becoming every time you choose to stay, leave, speak, or stay silent.

The artist who leaves early…or the artist who stays for one more conversation. The one who performs…or the one who gets curious.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


You’re not bad at networking, you’re protecting yourself. Your brain remembers past discomfort and pre-loads you to expect the same discomfort at every event.


The room isn’t the problem, the story is. Two people can have completely different reads on the same moment: one sees “they’re just busy,” another sees “they don’t care about me.” Neither is objectively right - the story you choose either opens or closes possibility. Your interpretation is often what limits you.


Start small: go to one event, stay a bit longer than is comfortable, and have one non-performative conversation. Networking isn’t performance, it’s discovery. 

BEST MOMENTS

“Many artists aren't making decisions from current exhaustion. They're making decisions from anticipated exhaustion. From memory.”

“Instead of jumping to they don't like me, they're not interested. Try widening the lens. Maybe they're overwhelmed, maybe they're socially awkward... you don´t know.”

“This isn't really about networking. It's about becoming somebody who can walk into a space, notice discomfort, and not immediately obey it.”

HOST BIO

With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

****

Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today!

https://cerihand.com/membership/

****

Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course

Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today.

https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/

****

Book a Discovery Call Today

To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected]

****

Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity

Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/