The Independent Artist Podcast
Visual Artists! You are not alone! IAP gives voice to the working artist. Inspirational and entertaining conversations with successful road show artists. Every story delves into the process of self-discovery behind the work and the career path that creates financial success. Douglas Sigwarth is a glassblower, and Will Armstrong is a mixed-media artist. Both have been working as independent artists for over 20 years on the art fair circuit. As cohosts, their contrasting experiences and styles make for comical and relatable talks that affect today’s contemporary artists.
The Independent Artist Podcast
Switching Gears in '26
Welcome to The Independent Artist Podcast with your hosts Douglas and Will — the show where we pull back the curtain on the real life of working artists.
Visual artists Douglas Sigwarth (https://www.sigwarthglass.com/) and Will Armstrong (http://www.willarmstrongart.com/) co-host and discuss topics affecting working artists.
Switching Gears in '26 is a candid conversation about what it means to keep making work when the ground feels uncertain.
We talk about the influence of legendary glassblowing artist Lino Tagliapietra, the pressure of staying creative during difficult economic and political times, and the strange in-between of waiting for application results for the 2026 season. We also dig into the ongoing tension between making work about something versus creating decorative work—and which of those paths is actually harder to sell. From making the work to finding the audience for it, this episode sits in the space between patience, persistence, and adaptation.
We also look at how tools like ChatGPT and emerging AI technologies are beginning to shape creative thinking, workflow, and decision-making. This is a conversation about recalibration, resilience, and choosing to move forward even when the path isn’t fully visible.
Episode tags:
Sono Lino- documentary about Glass Maestro Lino Tagliapietra https://www.sonolino.com/
Kimball Arts Festival-https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=13821
Sun Valley Arts & Crafts Festival-https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=14057
Art in the High Desert-https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=14073
Art in the Pearl- https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=13832
Cat Tesla Business of Art- https://www.catteslaworkshops.com/
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The National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA). http://www.naiaartists.org/membership-account/membership-levels/
ZAPPlication https://www.zapplication.org
