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 […]
Why Artists Don’t Need Something To Fall Back On Read More »
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
Does your family hate your art? Read More »
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
This Defines an Artist Read More »
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
Who Do You Think You Are? Read More »
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
The Monster Who Hijacks Artists’ Dreams Read More »
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
What Money Means in the Art-World Read More »
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
Have You Pushed PAUSE On Creativity? Read More »
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.
When Artists Lack Motivation Read More »
Artist, you cannot fail. What if that were true? What would you do differently if you knew that artists can’t ever fail? Well, guess what? It is true. It’s a success just to be an artist. To do the work, to own who you are. The only thing you can fail at is
The Truth About Success For Artists Read More »
Have you ever felt like your creativity wasn’t flowing? Maybe life wasn’t working out? Nothing was going according to plan? Have you ever struggled to keep the faith? In times of crisis I look for those wise teachers in my life so I turned to my friend, Andrew David Smith because Andy is
What the Blind Artist Saw Read More »