6 artists share their favourite Netflix shows for every creative’s watchlist
At Arts to Hearts Project, we have always believed that creativity is shaped by more than what happens inside the studio. Every conversation, every book, every film, and every story we connect with has the potential to influence the way we think, feel, and create. Sometimes inspiration arrives in unexpected ways, through a scene that stays with you for days, a character you can’t stop thinking about, or a story that quietly changes how you see the world.
That is why we love asking artists what inspires them beyond their own practice.
A few weeks ago, we posed a simple question to our community: If you could recommend Netflix shows that every artist should watch, what would they be? We expected a handful of great suggestions. Instead, we found ourselves reading through hundreds of thoughtful recommendations, passionate explanations, and conversations between artists who had discovered creativity in the same stories for completely different reasons.
We shared some of those recommendations, but when we went back to revisit the comments, we realized we had only scratched the surface. There were so many thoughtful responses that deserved more than a quick scroll. Some recommendations challenged the way artists think. Others reminded them to slow down, observe more closely, or see beauty in places they had overlooked. Each one revealed something about the person sharing it and about the many ways inspiration finds us.
So we did what we always love doing, we went back, read every comment again, and gathered the recommendations that stayed with us long after we closed the page. Whether you’re looking for visual inspiration, fresh ideas, or simply a great story that might spark something new in your own creative practice, we hope you’ll find something here worth adding to your watchlist.
After all, the best recommendations don’t just entertain us. They stay with us and often inspire our own ideas.
A great show does what great art does. It finds you where you are and leaves you somewhere different
There is a difference between watching something and really taking it in. Most of us scroll past hundreds of hours of content without a single frame sticking. But every once in a while, something stops you. Makes you feel something you were not expecting. And if you pay attention in that moment, there is almost always a lesson in it. About courage. About purpose. About what it means to be human. The shows that move us are rarely just entertainment. They are mirrors.
Mirjana Conte @mirjana.conte.art did not just drop a watchlist. She dropped a whole philosophy. Every show she chose circles around something deeper purpose, resilience, courage, anxiety, the child still living inside all of us. From Manifest to Brené Brown to Portrait Artist of the Year, her list is not about what is trending. It is about what stays with you. What teaches you something about being alive. And for an artist, we think that is exactly the right criteria.
Cinema that challenges you visually never leaves your eye the same way it found it.
Some films do more than tell a story. They pull you into a world where every frame, every color, and every small detail feels intentional. You start noticing the way scenes are composed, how light changes the mood, or how silence can say more than words.
As an artist, watching these films feels different. You’re not just following the story; you find yourself paying attention to the choices behind it. You begin to see how someone else builds a mood, tells a story visually, and turns simple moments into something memorable. Sometimes, those are the films that stay with you long after they’ve ended.
The list that @organicerotic put together is not for casual Friday night viewing. Triplets of Belleville, Parasite, Alice by Jan Švankmajer, Abre Los Ojos. These are films that demand something from you. That push at the edges of what storytelling can look like. And The Gardener documentary sitting quietly in the middle of that list is its own kind of statement. Nature, intention, patience, craft. The same things that make a great film make a great artist. And this list seems to know that.
Art that breaks the rules has always inspired artists who want to break their own.
Some shows are entertaining while you’re watching them, and then you move on. Others stay with you. You keep thinking about a scene, a character, or the way a story was told. Before you know it, those ideas start showing up in your own work.
For artists, inspiration doesn’t always come from galleries or sketchbooks. Sometimes it comes from great storytelling. A show can change the way you think about color, mood, pacing, or emotion without you even realizing it. The best ones don’t tell you what to create they simply leave you seeing things a little differently.
Anahid @anahid.ilieva went beyond the brief and we love her for it. Arcane, Maniac, Russian Doll, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, each one a different kind of visual and emotional universe. And then she added Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein because she felt every artist simply has to see it. Not because it is on Netflix. Because it is the kind of work that reminds you what is possible when someone makes something with complete creative conviction. And that reminder, for an artist, is worth more than any tutorial.
A tight watchlist says more about a person than a long one ever could.
Not every recommendation needs a long explanation. Sometimes, a simple “you should watch this” says enough. The best recommendations often come from the stories that genuinely stayed with someone long after they finished watching.
Artists spend so much time looking closely at the world that when they recommend something, it often comes from genuine connection rather than trend. And that’s what makes these recommendations worth paying attention to. They aren’t just popular picks—they’re the stories that stayed with them.
Kelly Jackson @jacksonova gave us five titles and nothing else. Pantheon, Scavengers Reign, 1899, Killing Eve, The Beast in Me. No explanations. No disclaimers. Just the list. And honestly that confidence is its own kind of recommendation. Because when someone who clearly has a strong visual and creative sensibility hands you five titles without feeling the need to sell you on any of them, you pay attention. We certainly did.
A list that includes Jim Henson, Neil Gaiman and Anne Rice is not a watchlist. It is a creative education.
A good watchlist gives you something to watch. A great one gives you something to think about.
The right recommendations can change the way you notice storytelling, visual details, and the choices behind every scene. As an artist, those moments don’t stop when the episode ends. They shape the way you look at your own work, help you see new possibilities when you’re feeling stuck, and remind you that inspiration can come from places you weren’t expecting.
Shia Lynn Victor @theartsycraftsy did not just recommend shows. She recommended a lineage. Jim Henson. Brian Froud. Brené Brown. Neil Gaiman. Guillermo Del Toro. Anne Rice. Every name on this list is someone who built entire worlds from their imagination and refused to make them small. The Dark Crystal, The Sandman, Frankenstein, Pinocchio, Interview with the Vampire. These are not just things to watch. They are reminders of what is possible when a creative person commits completely to their vision. And for an artist, that reminder is everything.
Animated worlds are built entirely from imagination. That is not a small thing
Watching great animation as an artist is a different experience. You’re not just following the story—you start noticing the choices behind it. The color palette, the character design, the backgrounds, and even the smallest details all help tell the story in their own way.
That’s what makes animation so inspiring. It reminds you that every creative decision matters. And once you begin to notice those details on screen, you often find yourself paying more attention to the choices you make in your own work too.
@phoxx.art went all in on animation and we are completely here for it. Hilda for its colour and its quiet fantasy world. Klaus for character design so precise she capitalised THE HANDS. Arcane for its stunning visualisation of trauma, its strong characters, and a world so dark and so beautiful it stays with you. And Nimona for its artstyle, its humor, and a story that goes much deeper than it first appears. Four animated shows. Four completely different visual languages. And one artist who clearly knows exactly what she is looking for in the things she watches.
One of our favorite things about reading through the responses was how different they all were. No two artists shared the exact same list, yet they all had one thing in common. Each recommendation came from a story that had stayed with them long after they finished watching it.
As artists, we’re constantly taking in ideas, images, conversations, and experiences. We may not always notice it, but those things become part of the way we think and create. A film, a series, or even a single scene can stay in the back of your mind and show up later in your work in ways you never expected.
If your watchlist has been filled with the same kinds of shows lately, maybe this is a good excuse to try something different. You might just discover a story that inspires your next idea.
We’ve linked the original Instagram post below so you can explore even more recommendations from our community. There were far too many great ones to include here, and every comment added something new to the conversation.
And to everyone who shared their favourites thank you. Your recommendations gave us more than a list of shows. They gave us a glimpse into the stories, ideas, and perspectives that inspire your creative life.
We will keep asking these questions. Because the conversations that happen in the comments are just as valuable as anything we could say ourselves.
And if you are not already part of our community on Instagram, come find us there. The next question might just be the one you have been waiting to answer.
