Why Change Can be the Ultimate Creative Tool with Pixies Bassist & Painter Emma Richardson

Ceri welcomes Emma Richardson, a polymath creative who seamlessly navigates music and visual art. Currently the bassist and vocalist for Pixies while maintaining her painting career, Emma talks about creative courage and change. She shares her experience with Band of Skulls, her pivot towards painting during lockdown and her unexpected invitation to join one of rock's most influential bands. Emma's story shows the power of following your creative instincts, even when the path forward isn't clear.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Emma credits her early art teacher Mr. Malin for introducing her to diverse art forms and her tutor Clunie Reid for providing philosophical reading that expanded her artistic vision.
• The music industry and art world require different approaches but similar courage. Emma describes how transitioning from an established band to pursuing painting full time meant "being back to square one" but allowed her to reconnect with her original passion.
• The creative states of music and visual art have distinctly different energies. While performing music provides an immediate collective energy exchange with audiences, painting offers a private, contemplative flow state where Emma can explore deeper themes and take different kinds of creative risks.
• Performance involves a specific kind of energy management. Emma evolved from using alcohol to manage performance anxiety to developing much better self care including exercise and proper sleep, to be in the right headspace and have the right energy.
• Finding your creative community transforms solo practice. After reconnecting with painting through the Turps correspondence course and Ceri Hand Rocket Booster course, Emma discovered an essential group of fellow artists who provided both inspiration and practical support for her renewed career direction.
• Emma learned that passion alone isn't enough, understanding promotion, sales, and professional relationships is essential for building a sustainable creative career in any discipline.
• Saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities can lead to extraordinary growth. When invited to join Pixies, Emma embraced the challenge of learning their extensive catalogue and stepping into a legendary band, demonstrating how preparation meets opportunity in creative careers.

BEST MOMENTS

"Being given a book at school with Georgia O'Keeffe's work just really resonated with me, there was a feeling about her work that I got, which I loved."

"At college, just learning different skill sets of drawing from life, drawing from still life... the thrill of that, being able to draw from life and make something appear out of nowhere, which looked actually real."

"Being on tour is quite an intense experience. Early days, everything's new, you're seeing new countries and cities for the first time. There's usually quite a lot of alcohol involved for nerves. You have this sort of come up and then come down."

"With painting, it's very much still a performance but because it's solo and you're on your own in a space and no one's watching you, you can get lost a bit easier and feel a flow in a sense." 

"When you're starting a different aspect of your creative practice, where you feel like you're at a different stage, it's those early stages of 'How do I promote myself? How do I sustain my practice? How do I sell work? How do I get shows?'" 

"It's being brave enough to go out and ask for help sometimes, or ask for knowledge, or to be able to understand the business side of the art world a bit more. You want to create, but earning and living from it is another beast." 

"I think from what you were saying earlier, that sort of delight when the gallerist invited you to be in the show. There's a shared commitment to sharing the work with a wider public, that that's something that you desire." 

"Sometimes to wait for great, we have to say goodbye to good. It can be tough to walk away from people, projects, or careers we love in order to explore what's truly possible for us."

EPISODE RESOURCES

Emma Richardson
Website: emmarichardsonart.com
Instagram: @elrpainting 

Band of Skulls – I Know What I Am (Official Music Video), featuring Emma Richardson’s painting as a stunning animated backdrop, seamlessly blending her visual and musical worlds.

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 30 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 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.

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