Free Inspiration

How To Respond To Negative Feedback
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,

Meet Working Artist Karen Jilly
Rewind to the Great Recession of 2008. Galleries closed. Art dealers moved on. Curators chased other professions. Karen Jilly, a mid-career artist who unlocks beauty in deceptively ordinary, forgotten cityscapes, suddenly found herself without key trappings

Meet Artist Wayne Brungard
Wayne Brungard is a self-taught metal artist and experienced fabricator. He creates bold custom art that defines space. However Wayne’s journey to becoming a sculptor, from turning his craft into art, took over 40 years and

The Universe Gives you What You Need
I travelled the world, only to find myself back where I began 7 years ago. It’s been 7 years since that day someone made the offhand remark, “Don’t you wish you could sell it all and

College Art Students Ask These Questions
Say what you will about young people today. this generation makes my heart sing for the future of the planet. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with hundreds of university art students all over

It Takes A Village
As this extraordinary year draws to a close, every artist I know is looking forward in hopes that 2021 will bring happier surprises than 2020. But I want to take this moment to cast my gaze

Validation
One of the first questions I ask aspiring artists is, “What is it that you want?” Invariably the answer has to do with wealth and fame. Heroes named include Damian Hirst and Andy Warhol. And then I sigh,

How To Be The Greatest
I imagine that you’ve heard of the boxer named Mohammad Ali. When he passed away, the whole world mourned. But Crista, you’re probably asking, what does a boxer have to do with art? A lot, actually.

So You’re An Artist. Now What?
So you’ve taken the jump and chosen to be an artist. Now what? Where’s the fabulous gallery opening in New York City? Where are the international collectors to lavish praise and money on you? Where’s

I Challenged These Artists
As artists, we challenge ourselves because that’s how we find The Muse. The Muse doesn’t just sit around waiting for us. We have to get to work to find her. Sometimes that means opening ourselves up

The Monster Who Hijacks Artists’ Dreams
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.

How Seth Godin Answered This Artist’s Question
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

Is Your Art Making You Wealthy?
“But Crista,” the artist asked, “How can I make a living from my art?” “I wanna be wealthy! I wanna live on a beach! I wanna be dripping in jewels! And I want my art to pay for all of

She Looked Like Georgia O’Keeffe
Every family has a story. They called her “Grandma Ach” because of her habit of beginning each sentence with a guttural sound of disapproval. “Ach! What is this?” But her name was Mary Anne. She was the

The Best Art Critique Process
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a lot of art critiques in my day. Even though artistic taste is subjective, even though everyone has their own aesthetics and set of experiences and education that

What Will Become of Her?
They tell me that I have always been creative. My family recognized the symptoms from the start. I often heard them wail, “She’s creative!” when they didn’t understand why on earth I made the choices I

Why Must a Woman Be Naked to Get in a Museum?
I was speaking to a group of university students. As I finished, a young woman approached the stage. “May I ask you a question?” Of course! I asked if she was an artist. I inquired about

What the World Needs Now
As our world seems to be spinning out of control we are looking around wildly for what we need; leadership, community, toilet paper… But what I believe the world really needs is a sense of its