Brush & Banter | A Zibra Podcast

What This Year Really Looked Like | Community, Growth & Letting Go

• Brie Hansen, Annie Bolding, & Lauren Cooper • Season 6 • Episode 7

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Think of this as a creative yearbook you didn’t have to sign: the three of us looking back at 2025’s biggest lessons, strangest pivots, messy moments, and unexpected joys. We unpack how Rooted reshaped our year, how podcasting shifted our sense of community, what’s changing for us as artists and business owners, and the habits we’re absolutely not dragging into 2026. Add in your “Spilled Paint” chaos, our words for the new year, and a rapid-fire Brie takeover, and you get a cozy, reflective, slightly chaotic episode that feels like a warm reset for creatives everywhere.

Episodes Mentioned:

Year-End Creative Finds:

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The moments from 2025 that shifted our creative direction, from Rooted to unexpected collaborations
  • What podcasting taught us about community, connection, and creative loneliness
  • The difference between saying “yes” out of excitement vs. scarcity
  • What we’re intentionally leaving behind before stepping into 2026
  • How our artistic styles, processes, and identities evolved this year
  • Why structure, boundaries, and self-trust matter more than a perfect plan

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project.

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra:

Contributor

Brie Hansen

Host
Contributor

Annie Bolding

Co-host
Contributor

Lauren Cooper

Co-host