Making Art While Appeasing Your Inner Committee

I had an insight today.  Regardless of what you think makes a successful artist – whether it be sales, gallery representation, or critical attention – you can’t even be an artist without tremendous inner resilience and spiritual balance to. Just. Keep. Working. This is what separates the ones who try and give up and the ones who keep going, year after year, whether anyone cares … Continue reading Making Art While Appeasing Your Inner Committee

‘Tis the Season… To Wind Down

My final creative act of 2012 is likely to be baking Christmas cookies. That’s right. I am out of the studio until January. I spent this month making two paintings and once I finished them, I realized I was tapped out. I went into the studio the next day and sat staring out the window, no ideas, no motivation… I could work on longer term … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season… To Wind Down

No One Wants a Soldier That is Only a Little Brave

I came across this interview today with writer Cheryl Strayed, author of Tiny Beautiful Things. She spoke about the pressures of the outside world on the artist, paraphrasing something F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “Nobody wants a soldier that is only a little brave.” She went on to say this: And if you’re gonna be a writer, you just truly have to be a writer. You … Continue reading No One Wants a Soldier That is Only a Little Brave

So You Want to Quit Your Day Job, Part II: Becoming a Professional

So you want to quit your day job. Let me guess… At the end of every day, you drag yourself home, almost too tired to survive the commute. You might work out, rustle up some grub and then you drag yourself into your studio (or to your kitchen table, couch, or desk) to work on what you really live for, be it painting, writing, or … Continue reading So You Want to Quit Your Day Job, Part II: Becoming a Professional