Who do you think you are? How many of us are afraid to say who we are and what we want? Afraid of disappointing our parents, our friends, lovers, colleagues? Almost every artist battles the accusing echoes, “Who do you think you are to be an artist?” We’re afraid we don’t deserve to wear the […]
Every artist’s journey tells a story. And every story has an antagonist. The story of your artist’s journey is no different. The antagonist is the adversary, the opponent. It’s what comes between the hero and her desire. Consider your own journey, where you are right now. Can you identify an antagonist in your story? Yes, it
An artist recently spoke with me about her work. She tearfully admitted that she’d been too busy to create new work of any substance. She was afraid. Afraid she won’t be able to connect with the muse again. Afraid she’d made a choice to have a family, a proper job, and now that part of
As artists, we often find ourselves at a crossroads, seeking validation and feedback, wondering if our art resonates with the world. Do you ever feel that way? I made this video to share with you what I’ve learned from a long career in the contemporary art world. Because I want you and every artist
I’m always encouraging artists to JUMP. But what does that even mean? The jump is about following your heart. If you recognize your heart as the very best of yourself, and you acknowledge that this is where your creativity comes from, you can trust your heart to lead. Don’t confuse your heart with your head.
What do you want to do when you grow up? Do you think we ever stop asking ourselves that question? It seems to be one of life’s great mysteries. When I was young I yearned to be a child prodigy. It seemed an easy way out. Let fate and genetics take the wheel, it was
Do You Hear That? It’s Life Asking You A Question. Read More »
“But Crista,” they ask, “How can I make a living from my art?” “I want to be wealthy! I want to live on a beach and be dripping in jewels! And I want my art to pay for it!” Then I reply with something that artist Kiki Smith once told me: Your art doesn’t have
As artists, we are CREATORS. And your life is your greatest creation. In his brilliant book Negative/Positive, Bill Jay wrote that artists are people who strive to become actually who they are potentially. To become actually who we are potentially, I love that. Who are you potentially? What lies inside you? People look at my
It was Day 16 of my crowd-funding campaign and I had only cried in public once. Twice. Online crowd-funding is not for the faint of heart. This was a several years ago, when I was raising the funds to create The Working Artist. It was my dream to create an online business school for artists
Do you hate social media? Do you hate self-promotion? Do you hate the competitiveness? The vacuous echo? The soul-sucking amount of time it takes? I hated all those things too. Yet people were always telling me that I had to do it. I had to do what everyone else is doing. There was no other