[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 […]
Category: Artspiration
These posts were weekly emails and are archived here for any sort of future reference
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 […]
Let’s Make 2022 Great!
Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you. ~ Tony Robbins Over the last week I’ve been hearing comments and jokes about how glad everyone is that 2021 is over. Some of the jokes are funny (I love wordplay and puns) but I’m going to push back against the general sentiment. Last year might […]
Year over year
Art is long, and Time is fleeting~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Year changes are always a great opportunity to look at how we organize our time. They don’t necessarily require that we figure out how to pack more in, to be more productive. Sometimes we need to look at what to take away. As we roll […]
Embrace your vision
Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.~ Franz Kafka It’s easy to get caught up in creating artwork that others will like – either just for compliments or to sell it. It’s easy to […]