I’m always telling artists to jump, to take a leap of faith. Faith in themselves, faith in their work. But it’s not always pretty, the jump is rarely a graceful leap from one side to another. Superstar artist Kiki Smith once told me that choosing to be an artist feels like choosing to …
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It’s not impossible to live the artist’s life without the recognition of your loved ones, but it can be exhausting. Don’t forget that people have their own reasons for their feelings. Everyone is telling themselves their own story. Even their story about you. I remember one family member speaking about my choice to be …
But what about all the bad stuff that happens to artists? Get over it. No, seriously. Bad stuff is part of the deal in art. Promises will be broken. Calls won’t be returned. Sales will fall through. And apparently global pandemics are even going to hit. It’s going to be tough sometimes. And not …
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 …
In the art world, people often think that the more money you make, the more talented you are as an artist. But as someone who helps artists succeed financially, I want to set the record straight: making money doesn’t prove you’re talented. It proves you are talented at marketing. True success comes from the …
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 …
Every artist experiences rejection. Even artists who hit Big Time. Even artists like you. Even artists like me. That’s why I understand when artists say they’re suffering. Rejection never feels good. It happened to me recently. A project that felt rightly mine was rejected. The disappointment hit hard. It felt as if I myself was …
An artist asked how to fill his time when he didn’t feel particularly motivated or inspired to make something? I know that many artists sometimes struggle to find inspiration. I suggested that he use this time to inhale. What did I mean by that? In breathing, the inhale is as important as the exhale. …
Let me ask you a question, artist to artist. What kind of world do you want to live in? Me, I want to live in a world where ideas and beauty are valued, a world where talent and effort are rewarded, a world where art is celebrated. Where craft is practiced and revered. I …
