Paper is more patient than people.~ Anne Frank I was recently chatting with a friend about processing thoughts and information. My friend tends to process verbally – by talking about something they discover what they’re thinking about it. I’m a writer – I process through ideas and discover what I think, solidify my ideas, by […]
Category: Artspiration
These posts were weekly emails and are archived here for any sort of future reference
Practice practicing
Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.~ Malcolm Gladwell Practice is important, and practicing well is even more important. It’s not enough to sit down and “work till the timer goes off” in order to check off the todo list item. “Practicing” can look […]
Pay attention to the little things
A multitude of small delights constitute happiness.~ Charles Baudelaire I recently went to the pool at the Rec Center with my daughter. We’re there at the pool, walking from one swim feature to another, and she stopped to splash in a little puddle. I caught myself thinking “it’s just a puddle, the pool is only […]
Do the foundational things well
[Napoleon] Bonaparte well knew that the fine arts entail lasting glory on great actions, and consecrate the memory of princes who protect and encourage them.~ Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne I’m a member of a custom framing forum and recently read this quote: I remember, before entering the industry, thinking “Just four bits of wood […]
Minimize complexity
Everything you own must be able to fit inside one suitcase; then your mind might be free.~ Charles Bukowski It’s easy to overwhelm ourselves with options. Whenever I pack for a trip, it takes me about 5 minutes to pack my clothes and such and about an hour to pack my art supplies. (Sort, choose, […]
Enjoy Some Timeless Stillness
Don’t forget to stand still every now and then to admire the view.~ Loesje I recently read an article about the stillness provided by Roman Baths. The restorative waters of the heated pool, white noise of the fountains and waterfalls as they burbled, the instant consciousness that came from moving from the hot pool into […]
What cycle are you in?
Study a masterpiece. Take it apart, study its architecture, its vocabulary, its intent. Underline, make notes in the margins, and after a few years, go back and read it again.~ David McCullough I’ve noticed that a lot of things tend to run through cycles, at least in my life. Over the course of a few […]
Make room for the new you
There is no formula for success—you just begin and then you continue. I’m often asked how to have a career in stand-up and the answer is confoundingly simple: Do the work. Over and over again, just do the work.~ Cameron Esposito Last week I asked, “what are you learning?” As time passes, hopefully we aren’t […]
What are you learning?
We often avoid taking action because we think “I need to learn more,” but the best way to learn is often by taking action.~ James Clear There’s always more to learn. That can be disheartening, at times. It can also be greatly inspiring! I know that I look at work by other artists and think […]
seeing past the trees
Art is an effort to create, beside the real world, a more humane world.~ Andre Maurois, French Author It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, to run from one thing to the next. Thoreau said, “Our life is frittered away by detail” – he could easily have been talking about my to-do […]