Just Make Art

A 15-foot painting stops Ty cold, and it kicks off a conversation that keeps getting bigger: what does it look like to keep making serious work when you’re old, tired, and no longer trying to prove anything to anyone? After a London walk from a heavy Tracy Emin experience to Georg Baselitz at White Cube, we can’t shake the feeling that we just saw a masterclass in artistic longevity.

We connect that late-career power to the Raphael Nadal Netflix documentary and the brutal reality of sport: your mind can still be hungry while your body forces the ending. Painting works differently. Baselitz talks about continuing “despite an almost complete absence of pressure,” and we wrestle with whether a younger artist can reach a version of that freedom sooner. We get into confidence built on discipline and time, the role of career momentum and visibility, and the trap of making work on other people’s terms.

From upside-down paintings to walker marks dragged through wet paint, Baselitz becomes a case study in adapting studio practice to aging and illness without shrinking the ambition. We also unpack self-doubt, the difference between public failure and inner conviction, and why time tells in art more than any single moment. If you care about creative discipline, expressionism, contemporary art, and building a sustainable art career, this one goes straight to the nerve. Subscribe, share with a friend, leave a review, and tell us: what helps you stay free in the studio when the pressure spikes?
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Ty Nathan Clark and Nathan Terborg are back! 
A career that ends because your body says “no” forces a kind of honesty most of us try to avoid. That’s why the Rafael Nadal Netflix documentary hit us so hard and why we couldn’t stop talking about it as artists.

We trace Nadal’s mindset back to the studio: the way victory fades fast, the way difficulty becomes the real teacher, and the way motivation can turn dangerous when it turns into obsession. We also dig into the difference between an athlete’s timeline and an artist’s timeline. Tennis can become a race against time, but art can be a lifelong practice, which means we get to adapt, evolve, and keep making work for decades if we stay present and keep training.

Along the way, we pull quotes from Nadal, his dad, and his coaches to talk about pressure, discipline, community, and perspective. We explore why “control the controllables” is a studio survival tool, how self-made deadlines can sharpen your focus, and what it means to compete with yourself without turning art into a zero-sum game. We also ask the uncomfortable question: what does “suffering more” look like for an artist, and how do we bring joy into the drive so we don’t regret the moments we’re living right now?
In the coming Part 2 we will discuss Georg Baselitz and his life long practice, comparing it to the short period of time Nadal was able to complete.

Subscribe, share this with an artist friend, and leave a review if the conversation helps you show up stronger tomorrow. What’s one controllable you’re focusing on this week?
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Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast   @tynathanclark   @nathanterborg
Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,
https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast

The fastest way to kill creative flow is to turn art into an identity you have to defend. Nathan sits down with special guest host Michael Gazzo (@Michaelvgazzo), a coach, rebirth breathwork facilitator, master NLP practitioner, and platinum-selling music producer, to talk about what happens when external success still leaves you empty and what it takes to create from a more honest place.

We trace Michael’s path from childhood music obsession to major-label moments, touring, and high-pressure industry wins and then into the quieter work of rebuilding from the inside. Along the way, we unpack why curiosity and play create the “happy accidents” that make work feel alive, and why creative block often isn’t a lack of talent but a nervous system and heart issue. If you’ve felt stuck in perfectionism, overthinking, or the need to make something that “works,” this conversation offers a different frame: become a better receiver first.

We also get practical. We talk breathwork as a tool for regulation and deeper emotional release, how to redirect spiraling thoughts without bypassing your real feelings, and how journaling can become a direct dialogue with the work itself. Finally, we break down intention setting, focusing on a cleaner why, avoiding negative motivators that burn out fast, and serving the art instead of using the art to chase approval.

If this resonates, subscribe for more conversations on creativity and the inner life, share this with a friend who’s blocked, and leave a review so more artists can find the show.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast   @tynathanclark   @nathanterborg
Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,
https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast
Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!
Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast   @tynathanclark   @nathanterborg
Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,
https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast

One song can pull you back to a room you haven’t seen in 30 years, and that same song can push you into the studio with a totally different kind of courage. Nathan Terborg and Ty Nathan Clark go all-in on the music that formed their taste and still shapes their creative process, from early mixtapes and older-sibling tape raids to the ritual of Tower Records, used CD bins, and the album art that taught us as much as any design class.

We trade stories about the records that became emotional landmarks, the soundtracks that acted like secret portals to new bands, and the way certain albums become permanent studio companions. Ty shares how the Basquiat film soundtrack helped reroute his path as an artist, and we dig into the very real chain reaction of influence, like Jeff Buckley inspiring Thom Yorke’s approach on Radiohead’s work. Along the way we hit The Crow soundtrack, OK Computer awe, deep-cut favorites, and a few “no shame” listens that still surprise people.

Then we bring it back to craft: how to build a studio playlist with intention, how to match music to the energy you need, and why silence can be the most powerful tool when you’re trying to hear what the work is asking for. If you’ve ever wondered how music and creativity connect at a practical level, this one is a blueprint you can actually use.

If it resonates, subscribe to Just Make Art Podcast, share it with an artist friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What album changes the way you make work?
Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!
Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast   @tynathanclark   @nathanterborg
Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,
https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast

Cameron Crowe wrote for Rolling Stone as a teenager, rode alongside the biggest bands of the era, and somehow stayed human enough to turn those years into art. We use his memoir The Uncool as a springboard to talk about the real creative process: the awkward beginnings, the brutal winters, and the small daily choices that keep an artist moving when nobody is clapping yet.

We pull quotes and stories that hit hard for working artists. What does “opportunity favors the prepared mind” look like in practice when you’re sending work out, building taste, and stacking reps? How do you protect the “invincible summer” in you when the studio feels cold, the market feels loud, and your mind starts running worst-case scenarios? We also linger on the difference between being discovered and being ready, and why preparation beats panic every time.

Then we get into confidence and evolution. “Act like you belong” isn’t fake swagger, it’s a quiet claim to your seat at the table if you’re doing the work. And Joni Mitchell’s advice cuts straight through the fear of changing your style: stay the same and get crucified, change and get crucified, so you might as well keep it interesting. We close with a challenge we all need: notice the work you’re avoiding, because it might be the work that matters most.

If this conversation lights a fire, subscribe, share it with an artist friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one piece of work you’re going to start or finish this week?
Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!
Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast   @tynathanclark   @nathanterborg
Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,
https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast