Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else. ~ Sydney Gurewitz Clemens Some parenting advice I heard talked about praising a child for something they’ve done. In both examples, they kiddo has just finished their latest painting. The first example has you saying, “Oh, what […]
Category: Artspiration
These posts were weekly emails and are archived here for any sort of future reference
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Easing into the new year
There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither. ~ Alan Cohen I had a grand plan of talking about sketchbooks and goals and what-not as we transition into 2024. However… Instead I’m going to recommend not taking this week so seriously. (Perhaps next week we can chat about […]
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Train-spiration
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~ Danny Kaye The train tracks are less than 100′ behind the store. So we hear the train go by on a daily basis. Inspired by those trips and the time of year, here’s a poem: Santa’s Artful […]
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Don’t forget to make time
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ~ Marthe Troly-Curtin It’s that time of year (especially in the world of retail) where time just slips away into some sort of vortex and there just isn’t enough of it to do all the things. This is the case the rest of the year, but it […]
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It’s basically just work
Well-being is realized by small steps but is truly no small thing. ~ Zeno I recently watched this video of Tischler working on a painting. It’s a beautiful painting… it took over 60 hours. It’s easy to look at the end results of a process (work, creative, whatever) and think that it just arrived that way. […]
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Endure the Rough Draft
Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do. ~ Bob Ross I was recently listening to a podcast about the importance of putting in the work to really learn a new skill. (This is the concept of “brush miles”.) The message was basically that it’s unreasonable to be good […]
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Creative Thanks
The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche I always try to take Thanksgiving as a set-aside time for reflecting on the many blessings in my life. A lot of those focus around work and the joy and fulfillment that come from the opportunity to work with you. We […]
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The Art of Loving Art
Every artist was first an amateur. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson The term ‘amateur’ often gets a bad rap, but it’s rooted in something quite beautiful. Derived from the Latin word ‘amare’, which means to love. To do things for the love of it. This origin means that an amateur is someone who engages in a […]
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“I draw to make a good world”
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. ~ Pablo Picasso Last week I was chatting with my daughter while she was drawing. (She’ll be 4 in December.) She said, “I am an artist.”I agreed, “Yes, you are.”She said, “I am drawing and painting, so I am an […]
Every moment there are a million miracles happening around you:a flower blossoming, a bird tweeting,a bee humming, a raindrop falling,a snowflake wafting alongthe clear evening air.There is magic everywhere.If you learn how to live it,life is nothing short of a daily miracle. ~ Sadhguru There are some who say things are getting worse. What do you […]