Where art gets down to business.
Every creative person I know has certain things in common. We crave feedback. We want our work to be seen and we desperately want to know what our work says to the viewer. At the same time, creative people hate criticism. To be fair, everybody hates criticism. Constructive or not, criticism isn’t nearly as much fun […]
One of my favorite writers is Seth Godin. I’ve been reading his books and blog for years because his advice for creatives is paradigm-changing. But life was throwing me some challenges. I wished I could ask Seth Godin about it. “Seth Godin would know what to do,” I thought to myself. “He always has the […]
Who am I? That’s a question every artist needs to ask themselves often. Because it’s who you are as an artist that will guide you through the ups and downs, twists and turns of this crazy path we’ve chosen. Who are you? When I asked that question of myself recently, I answered that my artwork […]
If you’re an artist who’s feeling overwhelmed going into 2018, try this New Year’s resolution: Strike the word BUSY from your vocabulary. I’m serious! This is potent stuff. A few years ago I realized that I’d been ignoring my heart’s calling because of a relentless amount of responsibilities. So I made a resolution to strike the […]
I went all the way to France to write my book. But that didn’t make it any easier. Chapter One. Page One. The bright white of the paper glared accusingly. How do I begin? At the café, the proprietor noticed the blank notebook and my heavy sighs. He asked what was I writing? I told […]
What does it mean to have a ‘calling’ as an artist? Who’s calling you? What exactly are you being called to do? Artists aren’t the only ones who feel called. When a person dedicates their career to religion, to God, we say they have a ‘calling.’ And it expands beyond the spiritual. Doctors have callings. […]
An artist recently told me that for years there was a battle inside her head as both hemispheres of her brain struggled to control her fate. The right side of her brain screamed to be an artist. It wanted to play, to make, to create. But the left side of her brain had other ideas. […]
As much as our culture marginalizes art and artists, as much as it dismisses our efforts, and scorns our value to society, our culture also happens to hold art in very high regard. Think about it. What holds the highest records for anything ever sold at auction? Is it cars? No. Jewels? No. It’s art. […]
When did you first suspect you might be creative? Do you remember the delight you took in colors when you held your first crayons? Or the thrill of building sand castles on the beach? Maybe you had an art teacher who lit a spark inside of you? Or perhaps it happened when you saw your […]
“It’s really easy to work as an artist!” said no one, ever. Most artists are really challenged when it comes to marketing their own work. Are you? Maybe you can’t place your finger on what your style is? Maybe you play in more than one medium? It’s difficult to package something that feels so elusive […]