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megan schaugaard lives in southern utah, is a mother of 3, art faculty at Utah Tech, an oil painter, mfa grad from the new york academy of art, former employee of "fine art connoisseur" and "pleinair" magazines and has a strong desire to support and lift artists in their business. in this episode you'll hear about her brave choice to attend the new york academy of art during the height of covid. she give beautiful examples of pursuing your passion while keeping family as your highest priority. hear a bit about megan's mfa experience, including meeting and selling a painting to brooke shields. megan and her husband have been working on software to keep all things art biz in one place for artists. yes, there are art organization software programs out there, but "art easely" goes well beyond an organization tool. megan and her husband are actively adding and implementing new aspects to make it the best tool for artists and their collectors. megan says, "i built this for myself. but i thought i would share. built to help you stay organized, save time, and focus on what you do best---creating." 

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode 249:

join jessica libor of the creative heroines podcast and myself as we talk about investing in your business. we discuss and share some wise investments you can make into your business as well as unregrettable investments we’ve personally made. when i began my art business, every bit of profit went right back into my business. there were grids to buy for art shows and fairs, paint to replenish and money to use to build and keep up a website. sometimes they were simple investments like books or medium sized investments like online courses. eventually, i could be more strategic as my income increased, i bought a nice camera, a car lol and now i’m building a studio in our front yard. there’s also the time and energy that you invest in your business and the priorities you keep. while jessica went to art school and i went to architecture school, we both agree that it’s important to follow your heart and find the path that’s best for you. even more important is to find gratitude within your unique path and to support other artists on their path. we all will have different goals and dreams for our art and it’s crucial to stay positive with other artists (and ourselves), to remember that there is room for all creatives and that the world needs your work and creativity. 

are you familiar with feedspot?!! they are a fantastic place to discover new podcasts, subscribe, and save your favorites on their reader. i've been on their email list for a couple years now and love getting regular updates about episodes in topics i enjoy. those emails have introduced me to new podcasters and episodes and i couldn't be more grateful!!

i'm honored to share that feedspot came out with their latest rankings in certain categories and my CANDYcolored studio podcast made the list! again, so very grateful to anuj and her team.

i'll leave the lists below. let me know what new podcasts you find on feedspot's website. and what niches of podcasts do you align with most?! not surprising, i find myself gravitating towards women artist podcasts, marketing and business, mindset and spiritual podcasts. enjoy enjoy and merci beaucoup anuj and team feedspot!! 

top 15 women artist podcasts 

10 best utah arts podcasts

10 best utah women podcasts

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode 248:

so much in this packed episode! thoughts on angels and prayer, manifesting revelations & clarity in 2025 and especially for the rapidly changing world that might just be hard to keep up with at times. thoughts and things to ponder on the department of education. are you applying for jessica & i's artist mastermind residency? we're accepting applications for 2026 ;). hear about a couple recently completed commissions and the new series one has inspired. a grief strategy and listening to promptings. soo many great shows and art opportunities right now! artists can apply for the "art at the park" below too. main topic: 2024 in review - some failures, lessons, highlights and all the things i'll be working on in 2025! sending so much love as you plan this year. xo!

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode 247:

i've been recording yearly review episodes since 2019 - as i prepared for this special episode with my dear friend jessica libor of the creative heroine podcast, i had several takeaways -- i'm not the same person or artist that i listened to from 2019 or even 2020. there were things that 2019 katrina was working on where i can see clear progress...there were also perspectives that i would love to embrace again. what a joy it is to plan and prepare and create as our highest self! in this episode jessica and i talk about the benefits of preparing for the year, becoming a better artist and learning how to best reach those seeking for our artwork...to contemplate our mission as artists and what we can contribute to this landscape. jessica will walk us through her planning session and her hopes and dreams for 2025. we'll also talk about benefits of planning and looking back on where we've come from as artists. a small taste of what we'd love to infuse into our mastermind retreat for professional women artists coming up in april! to learn more about the nature of creation: artistic awakening, click through and apply to attend here.

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode 246:

last fall, after receiving invitations to some beautiful artist retreats, i reached out to my beautiful artist friend, jessica libor of the creative heroine podcast to ask about her residency and art trip experiences. as we talked about what we loved most about each experience, we began brainstorming what would make the perfect artist residency for us. 

we realized that many of the artist retreats were geared towards beginners or aspiring artists...wouldn't it be amazing to focus on professional women artists and add mindset and business growth opportunities too! what if it was a mastermind of sorts, an intimate community helping and enjoying the journey together?!as we made a list of all the things we'd include, we decided that if it didn't exist, that we'd need to create it ourselves -- and that's how the nature of creation: artistic awakening artist retreat for professional women artists began!

this 3 day retreat will be in wayne, pennsylvania april 10th - 12th (2026). 

apply to attend in 2026

 

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode #245:

just wow. what a treat to spend time getting to know and learning from laura & matt! please share this episode with your favorite creatives and/or teachers! and if you have budding creatives, know a creative who wants to up level or get started, this episode is full of wisdom nuggets! there are some fantastic tips for parents and teens -- an episode simply packed with goodness. and yes, you'll want to go hang out with the grundlers for spring break...take a dip in their pool and chat with them a while! some of the topics matt and laura mention:

- their creative journeys
- benefits of small university programs/community colleges
- changing majors & careers
- supporting family, keeping family the focus/priority
- unintentionally following in family footsteps
- being a neuro-divergent teacher/learner
- teaching with students in-mind who process differently
- art journaling
- collaborating with art teachers across the world and finding survival during covid
- podcasting and learning from others
- finding your unique art career path and focus
- allowing for non-traditional paths
- celebrating all the learners: their process, path & style
- collaborating with other local artists at the chloe mae studios in allen, texas

a beautiful friend recently asked about resources for artists. as i pondered a list for her i realized that the resources that help us get started as artists are the same resources that can help us when we get in a rut. whether you're a new or seasoned artist, as you listen/read the list, may your heart tell you 3 or so resources you can focus on right now to get you going or get you back in the studio feeling inspired or with new direction/vision. what a gift it is to create!! wherever you are in your creative journey -- please keep moving forward. our heavenly parents created you with wisdom, beauty and all the confidence that you too can and will create. we were created to create!! sending so much love to you and your creative loved ones!

CANDYcolored STUDIO podcast episode 243:

a french pastry shop! what a dream to paint this sweet painting for the sweetest of families. special thanks to todd, carl and carsten -- todd for his craftsmanship, problem solving and for all three of their support!! they are the best -- soo much grattitude! i'm sharing some raw and personal stories of our older kids -- teens and two are now adults. what a joy it is to be their mom - to learn from them, to watch them and to cheer them on! from homeschool, alt high school, culinary school, home mtc and more -- hear all about the challenges and surreal joy that comes as they have followed their hearts. god has truly sent this sweet generation for a time as this -- because THEY knew these kids could handle it, face the hardships, fall at times and ultimately thrive thanks to our savior and redeemer jesus christ and the guidance of our heavenly parents. love love love them! soo much happening in the utah art scene right now: make sure to go to the 135 show & four lemons, 1000 show, the compass gallery and the utah masters studio tours. it's a great season to enjoy and support art!

CANDYcolored studio podcast episode 242:

a few years ago, an artist who i love and admire shared with me that her family felt she shouldn't be "already" experiencing success in her art career because she hadn't "put in her dues" yet. this was mind-blowing to me. if there was ever a place to find your biggest supporters, it should be your parents and family -- especially when your parent is an artist!! i'll be sharing some thoughts on this experience and a couple others of mine and that have been shared with me. sometimes it really is too easy to look at our own perceived "lacking" situation and simply decide that it's either not our fault or someone else's fault. but who really has the power and the responsibility to change our situation? what can we do to fix things in our own realm? 

CANDY COLORED STUDIO EPISODE 241:

happiest fall friend! so many exciting things with the fall colors to the art shows and markets currently available! check out the show links below to access them all. do you ever feel like you’re swimming through life simply responding to all the “shoulds” you feel you ought to be doing? do you feel pressure to do say “yes” to all the things, events or life directions by the most well-meaning people? let’s talk about the big and small life choices we make that add up to big and even bigger life directions and consequences. are they helping us find joy, feel complete or becoming our best self? how can we be more intentional about our choices and allow god to invite us to create a more curated life where we can find purpose and fulfillment without regret?