I'm Your Special One

‍A portrait of the artist as a young woman — and the art dealer who delivers her creations to a world whose insecurities and gender stereotypes they both internalize.

Overview‍

Episode 6 of How’s Work? with Esther Perel evokes a classic romance of devotion, jealousy and fear of betrayal. Yet here we find no evil plots or deceitful lovers, only self-aware, genuine, trusting art partners who embrace one another’s dents. They are an emerging artist and her gallerist, and their connection — while intimate — is platonic and professional. 
Esther collages both sides of the relationship to reveal parallel dependencies and anxieties around loss.Despite the mutual friendship and career building that bind them, neither can promise: “There never was, and there never will be, another like you.” Take a listen: I'm Your Special One is all about art and more.

Thematics

What to listen for in this episode of How’s Work? with Esther Perel:

• Mentor, parent, advocate, supporter: Who in our lives advances our ambitions yet whom we take for granted? 
• Creative relationships can often be complex, multilayered, and intense. The line between friendship and professional collaboration can blur or sometimes completely dissapear. For better or worse.
• How we experienced sharing early on — whether as “the beginning of nothing” or as plenty for all — shapes our expectations of professional collaborations in adulthood.  
• The art world thrives on freedom, the diversity of the human condition and a full spectrum of emotional expression as an incubator of genius. What are the advantages and pitfalls of a field that accepts its practitioners, problems and all, and sees these problems as sources of creativity that needn’t be probed?
• Whether mental, physical or emotional, illness and loss can cause uncertainty. How we recover and reenvision ourselves affects how we pursue future opportunities and relationships. 
• Even the closest of collaborators and confidants can hold taboos and avoid honest conversations around core topics. The challenge: To determine what makes us happy at the risk of being criticized for selling out, walking out or seemingly outed as unserious or unprofessional.