“Honest poverty is a gem that even a King might call his own, but I wish to sell out.” Mark Twain A bright young artist I met on the beach yesterday was concerned about “selling out”. She’s fortunate enough to get commissioned work from local buyers in her her community, but the subject matter that… Continue reading
Browsing Category Creativity
Crusin to Santa Cruz – A Paint Shop Episode
“I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts.” Orson Wells Usually I write articles that are helpful to the creative and the self-employed. This time, though, I’m going to share with you my latest project, The Paint Shop TV Show. I came up with this crazy idea… Continue reading →
What You Do is Your Art
“ART IS WHAT YOU CALL the thing an artist does. It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something… Continue reading →
HOW TO CREATE ANYTHING Even when you’re scared, inexperienced and don’t believe in yourself
Written by Christine Kane Let’s say you had a baby. Congratulations! Your baby is the best human ever! You love your baby. You celebrate as it starts to crawl. You delight in this baby’s every new adventure. Then, one day, the baby stands up on her own. “Yaaaaay!” you cheer. You think, “Wow. She’s gonna… Continue reading →
Focus on Desire Not Fear – Jump on that Horse
“The key to success is to focus our minds on the things we desire, not things we fear.” Brian Tracy Starting big projects is so much easier than finishing them. In the beginning, we are excited at the idea of creating something that others will love and enjoy. The excitement comes from visualizing what the… Continue reading →
Being Exceptional is a Sacrifice – Writing that Book is Hard
“Writing a novel is like making love, but it’s also like having a tooth pulled. Pleasure and pain. Sometimes it’s like making love while having a tooth pulled.” Dean Koontz Nothing exceptional ever got completed without sacrifice. Books can change the world and the people who write them deserve a medal – because it’s just… Continue reading →
How we got our HOW TO DRAW Art Book Published
I’m very excited – this week we’ll get our first copies of a new book that my husband, Drew, and I created. (Truth: It’s mostly Drew. I just put the deal together and wrote a few things. But I’m proud to now be able to say that I”m a published author.) We were fortunate to get… Continue reading →
HOW PLAYING IT SAFE KILLS YOUR CREATIVITY
I have a tendency to play it far safer than I should. But I’m working on this weakness… I’m careful not to use foul language or to write about my fabulous sex life. I strive to maintain a professional image and at the same time I yearn to interject some real personality into my posts…. Continue reading →
Are You An Artist? Poem by Guest Writer Archan Mehta
A beautiful poem written by guest writer Archan Mehta: Are you an artist? Does your spirit soar Like an eagle in the sky? Do you often wonder why The sky is blue? Well, me too. Are you an artist? Do you get bored easily By trivial, mundane things? Are you a wandering being? Are you… Continue reading →
Create Every Day – A Guest Post from Aileen Holmes
This is a guest post written by artist Aileen Holmes. Artwork to the left is one of Aileen’s creations. As artists, many of us dream of creating large masterpieces and gloriously large scale works. This is a beautiful and wonderful goal to have, but large dreams can also be a burden. We question ourselves… “Why… Continue reading →
How Meditation Helps the Creative Process
“Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.” Buddha Do you think it’s possible, that just by practicing meditation, you can unlock creativity within yourself? Many published writers and visual artists attribute the practice of meditation to their success. WHY MEDITATE? The regular practice… Continue reading →