ABOUT THIS EPISODE
If self-doubt shows up every time you try to paint (or finish something) and you’re tired of trying to think your way out of it, this episode is for you. Artist and tapping coach Melanie Fay explains how tapping for artists works, why your nervous system might be the real obstacle in the studio, and how to use this simple, science-backed tool to move through creative blocks and actually make things again.
Whether you’ve heard of EFT (emotional freedom technique) or not, this conversation breaks down why it’s showing up more and more in artist communities—and how you can use it right away, even if you feel silly doing it.
You walk into the studio and your chest tightens. Or you finish something and immediately start picking it apart. Or that mean voice shows up the second you pick up a brush, whispering that you don’t belong here.
Sometimes the biggest block isn’t time or skill—it’s your nervous system treating creativity like a threat.
This conversation with tapping coach and artist Melanie Fay gets into what that actually looks like—and what you can do about it.
In this episode:
- How Melanie discovered that art was the doorway to feeling herself as a being instead of machinery (and the specific moment time stopped in her high school studio)
- What tapping actually is—the mechanics of how tapping on acupressure points sends a calming signal to your amygdala and why that matters when you're stuck
- The painting teacher who took viridian green and painted over Melanie's work the night before a show
- Why "I'm not good enough" shows up when you're staring at an unfinished painting, and how to trace that thought back to its actual source
- The demonstration: where the tapping points are and what happens in your body when you use them (even if you feel ridiculous doing it)
- How to use EFT for creativity—in your studio, before a show, or when that courtroom voice starts up
BONUS: Antrese and Melanie are offering monthly group tapping sessions specifically for artists—fourth Wednesday of every month at 2:30 PM Eastern.
Plus you'll find a free demonstration video you can use anytime you need to shift your inner state here.
And hey - if this episode hit home, do me a favor, leave a review on Apple Podcast or come say hi on Instagram: @savvypainterpodcast
I’d love to hear this episode resonated you. ❤️
