You’ve already fallen off your New Year’s resolution — and that doesn’t mean you failed.

In this episode of Suffering for Art, we explore why New Year’s resolutions fail and how to actually build goals that stick in 2026 — without burnout, shame, or relying on willpower.

Most people don’t struggle with discipline. They struggle because their goals are fighting human biology, nervous system regulation, and real life. In this episode, we break down the neuroscience behind habit formation and explain how to create sustainable change that works with your brain instead of against it.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why willpower is a limited resource (and why it runs out)

• What’s happening in your brain when you procrastinate or “fall off”

• How your nervous system impacts motivation and consistency

• Why falling off a goal isn’t failure — it’s feedback

• Identity-based habits that create long-term change

• Simple systems that survive stress, low energy, and chaotic schedules

This episode is especially for artists and creatives navigating unpredictable routines, emotional labor, and high cognitive load — but anyone who feels stuck in the resolution cycle will benefit.

This isn’t about pushing harder or becoming more disciplined.
It’s about building habits that feel safe, repeatable, and realistic — so change becomes your new normal.

At the end of the episode, you’ll get a simple reflection prompt to help you restart without guilt and begin again in a way your brain can actually support.

If this episode resonates, please follow the podcast, leave a review, or share it with someone who needs a healthier way to set goals.

🔗 Artist Recharge Retreat application

In this episode of the Suffering for Art, I’m joined by relationship coaches and longtime leaders Sean Reed and Lanette Reed for a powerful conversation every creative needs to hear.

We unpack the hierarchy of relationships — your relationship to self, others, and your craft — and why getting this order wrong quietly erodes your mental health, creativity, and longevity.

We talk about:

• Why putting your craft first eventually costs you everything else

• The difference between a friend and an acquaintance (and why most creatives confuse the two)

• How isolation sneaks in during both success and failure

• The importance of having people who stay with you through the highs and the lows

• Why healthy relationships don’t compete with your art — they sustain it

If you’ve ever felt lonely at the top, burned out by hustle culture, or unsure who’s really in your corner, this episode will challenge and ground you.

🎧 Connect with Sean & Lanette Reed:
Website: https://ourcouplegoals.com
Podcast: Our Couple Goals Podcast

If this episode resonates, don’t forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow creative, and leave a review — it helps the show reach artists who need these conversations most.

In a world engineered for distraction, what does it actually take to create meaningful work?

In this episode of Suffering for Art, we dive into flow state and deep work—exploring how creativity thrives not through hustle or constant visibility, but through sustained focus. Drawing from the principles of deep work and modern research on attention, we unpack why it’s become harder than ever for artists to access flow—and what’s quietly stealing our creative energy.

We break down the addictive design of social media, looking at real statistics that reveal how often we’re interrupted, how fragmented our attention has become, and why that environment makes deep focus nearly impossible. If you’ve ever felt creatively blocked, scattered, or exhausted before you even start making work, this episode will help you understand why.

In the final part of the episode, we shift from problem to practice. Using the 9 characteristics of a flow state, we walk through how to intentionally set up a creative session that supports immersion, presence, and momentum—so you’re not waiting for inspiration to strike, but creating the conditions for it to emerge.

This episode is an invitation to protect your attention, reclaim your focus, and reimagine what sustainable creativity can look like in a noisy world.

If you have thoughts, questions, or want to continue the conversation, email me at sufferingforartpodcast@gmail.com.

To step fully out of distraction and into deep creative restoration, learn more about the Artist Recharge Retreat here:
👉 link

Y’all — it’s officially been a whole year of Suffering for Art. I’m so honored to be on this journey of learning, healing, and creating with you. I’m endlessly proud of the episodes we’ve produced together and can’t wait for everything this next year will bring.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the basics of investing — what it actually is, how to start (even if you feel behind), and why financial literacy is a creative act. From understanding stocks and ETFs to opening your first Roth IRA, this is your crash course in growing what you already have.

And because I love y’all — two big announcements:
✨ The Artist Recharge Retreat is officially open for applications! Seven artists will spend three nights in Upstate New York recharging, resting, and reconnecting with their purpose. [Apply here → link]
📄 Download your free Investing 101 PDF to follow along and take notes from the episode. [Grab it here link]

Here’s to building freedom — financially, creatively, and emotionally.
Thank you for being part of year one. 💛

As whispers of a Broadway strike grow louder and the political climate grows heavier, one question stands: where are the artists?

This 15-minute episode reflects on the role of creatives in moments of change — from the dancers like Pearl Primus who turned movement into protest, to the artists of the Civil Rights era who used their craft as resistance. Inspired by The Gilded Age and the origins of The Met, this conversation asks what it truly means to create with conviction when history is repeating itself.

🎧 Follow @sufferingforart
💸 Support the movement: https://www.venmo.com/u/sufferingforart

When you hit a point of success in your life, do you feel as though you are on a high and then suddenly when that successfully moment wears off your suddenly left with a life that feels lackluster?

In this episode Brianna Kaleen talks about how to love your life in the off seasons. When the accolades are not happening yet and life seems dull. With practical steps and tips on how to love your life she challenges all Creatives to love more than success so that when the high of an accomplishment comes, it is at the same peak level as life itself.

Support the Show: If you’ve been moved, inspired, or simply entertained by Suffering for Art, consider supporting the work. Your donations help keep the conversations going, the resources flowing, and the creative community growing. Every bit counts.

🎭 Donate here

Thank you for being part of this space.

Resources mentioned in the Podcast Episode: To learn more about finances and wealth check out this PDF and give EP 5 of the Suffering for Art Podcast a listen!

Knowing your worth might sound like a basic concept — but for so many creatives and artists, it’s the very thing we leave behind when we step into our craft. In this episode, we’re unpacking why that happens, and more importantly, how to change it.

Through bold questions and honest reflections, I’m inviting you to rethink your path: Who do you want to be? Where do you truly want to go? And what’s standing in your way? The truth is, stepping into your full potential starts with recognizing your value — not just as a creative, but as a person.

Let’s talk about how knowing your worth isn’t just a mindset — it’s a strategy for the future you’re building.

I’m not sure why perfection was on my mind this month, but I’m glad it was—because it helped me reframe how I want to create moving forward.

In this episode, we unpack where our obsession with perfection even comes from. We take a historical dive, explore cultural and media influences, and look at how perfectionism became a standard we never actually agreed to.

And then we do something even more important: we talk about how to quiet that voice that says, “This still isn’t good enough.”

My hope? That by the end of this episode, your goal won’t be perfection either—it’ll be completeness.