What To Do After An Art Challenge

What To Do After An Art Challenge

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Art challenges provide a wonderful burst of inspiration, accountability, and community. But they all end eventually, and to really dig into your own art practice, you can’t always be responding to a challenge. So what do you do when...
More Art Play Makes Better Art Work

More Art Play Makes Better Art Work

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I spend a lot of time urging you to repeat yourself, to focus on exploration, and to luxuriate in the joy of the process. Today I’d like to illustrate what that looks like for me in the hope of inspiring you to push further in your...
The Power of Starting Simple

The Power of Starting Simple

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: What is the simplest thing I could do artistically right now? I’ve found this is such a powerful question for my art practice. I don’t ask: What masterpiece could I make? We need to build our skills over time. You’re not...
Finding a Sense of Wonder in Your Art

Finding a Sense of Wonder in Your Art

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’ve been hosting Slow Drawing Parties since the beginning of the pandemic, and so many folks have told me how important the practice is to their lives. But when folks first start, especially if they are new to art, it can be hard...
The Inchie Challenge 2021

The Inchie Challenge 2021

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Each summer I host an art challenge that focuses on getting you to meet your top art goals – make more fun, meaningful art. There is so much that can get in the way of your creative life. I want to help you make art making so...
The Simplest Things

The Simplest Things

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: At the Nature Spells Book Retreat last week, one of the things we discussed was the power of making space for the simplest things. We think our ideas need to be grand, or complicated, in order to be good enough. But it’s not true. I...
How to Sew Your Own Journal

How to Sew Your Own Journal

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I have been making my own journals for some time – some sewn simply, some rolled or loose, and some folded accordion style. I love the playfulness of these techniques. But I have longed to sew a more traditional book – a...
Playing With Inchie Art

Playing With Inchie Art

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I had to keep quiet about my BIG ART approach for a long time while I was building my class – it’s so fun to share with you now about it. I wanted to get playful, I made a little video for you that shows my process: For this...
Mindful Art Parties

Mindful Art Parties

Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Since we went into quarantine, each week I’ve been holding a live, free Mindful Art Party. It’s a time you dedicate to yourself, to connect and create with artists from all over the world. Despite social distancing, we can...
My Brooklyn Sketchbook Project Journal

My Brooklyn Sketchbook Project Journal

  Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’ve been interested in cutouts and layering in my art journals for quite a while. It started with my class, Fluid Art, where I create tunnel journals. Soon I started using my cutouts as collage, as I teach in my new class...
Fluid Art Journaling Pages

Fluid Art Journaling Pages

  Dear Wonderful, Creative You: This week I had the pleasure of spending some time with you on Facebook Live to create some fluid art journal pages. I wanted to show you how I used mark making and layered paint to create intuitive images on this fluid art...
Intuitive Art Journaling

Intuitive Art Journaling

  Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Intuitive art journaling is one of my favorite ways to work through feelings, let go of stress, and play with art. It’s a journey that started for me in graduate school, as I learned to use my journal not just to write, but...
Let’s Make Perfectly Imperfect Art

Let’s Make Perfectly Imperfect Art

  Dear Wonderful, Creative You: In my Diving Deep class, we focus on learning to dance between intuition and technical skill. The skill we have been focusing on this week, blind and semi-blind contour drawing, is one that can really call up the inner critic....
Intuitive Painting Techniques

Intuitive Painting Techniques

  Dear Wonderful, Creative You: The last days of the year are a time for most of us to take a deep breath and sink deeply into the couch after the holiday craziness. It’s also a great time to do some introspective art. Rather than endlessly scrolling...