You Don’t Owe Anyone Access with Sean Mort

In this episode, Mark and Sean have a raw, unfiltered conversation about entitlement—where it comes from, how it shows up in creative work, and why learning to say no is sometimes the most important skill a creator can develop.

The discussion moves through audience expectations, collaboration requests, customer emails, and so-called “opportunities” that quietly drain time and energy. Mark shares candid stories about being guilted into unpaid labor, navigating aggressive messages during moments of grief and travel, and recognizing when access turns into obligation. Sean connects these experiences to his own business, unpacking how customers and collaborators can unknowingly cross boundaries when they forget there’s a real person on the other side of the work.

Together, they talk about shutting down retail spaces, reclaiming creative time, and the hard truth that running a shop—or entertaining every request—often pulls artists further away from the very work they love. The episode closes with a clear philosophy: community is built on trust, not entitlement, and creators don’t owe anyone more than honesty and the work they choose to share.

A deeply personal conversation about boundaries, independence, and protecting the creative life you worked so hard to build.