Since this global pandemic began, I’ve been calling for artists to lead. But how can an artist lead when confined to their house with no resources? How can an artist lead when the whole world seems

Do you have a mentor? An Elder Artist who encourages you and shares words of wisdom?  I do. My friend Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is a Native American artist whose powerful paintings have been awarded and featured

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,

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

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

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,

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’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

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

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.

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

“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

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

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

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