Jan 30, 2023 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Favorite
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...
Jan 4, 2023 | Favorite, Slow Drawing
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: One of the questions I get a lot is how I come up with my slow drawing patterns. In December, I come up with the batch of patterns that we will explore in the first six months of the year, and in May, I generate the second batch. Since I...
Nov 7, 2022 | Art Supplies, Books
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Each year I compile a list of books that have been important to me and my creative life during the year. I hope you find a few that speak to you here, and that you comment at the bottom to add to the list. Art + Drawing Books: Life is...
Oct 3, 2022 | Art journaling tutorial, Art Tutorials, Mindfulness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: It happens so often with the “simplest” slow drawing patterns – folks initially dismiss them, but once they do the workshop, they say how surprised they were because they loved the simplicity and found a lot of room to...
Aug 23, 2022 | Art journaling tutorial, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: This is one of my favorite times of year – The Inchie Challenge! Watch this video to learn why + how we do The Inchie Challenge. Join the Inchie Challenge Here: ‘ (You could win a free copy of my book Draw Yourself Calm!) I...
Aug 8, 2022 | Art journaling tutorial, Art Tutorials, Books
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’m more than pleased to tell you that my book, Draw Yourself Calm, is now available in the UK! Even more fun is that folks in the UK can purchase with a special coupon code I’ll offer at the end of the post. I thought it...
Aug 1, 2022 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Mindfulness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Last week I had the great pleasure of returning to Maine to camp for the week with my family. It’s always a time of incredible views, hikes, bikes, and far too many sticky buns and ice cream cones. It’s also a time that I...
Jul 11, 2022 | Art Supplies, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: For some of us, it can be hard to make time and space for art making. It’s easier to buy art supplies than to create with them. It’s easier to put the things that need to be dealt with in your art space, than to deal with...
Jun 6, 2022 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: It’s been two years since I’ve been able to return to one of my most beloved places on earth – to Squam Lake for an art retreat. When I arrived, the lake was a sight for sore eyes, and I felt myself sink into its...
Apr 11, 2022 | Art journaling tutorial, Art Tutorials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Slow drawing has seeped into every part of my art practice. I love the way these nature-based patterns seem to have a connection to everything, and everyone sees them differently. It speaks to the way these patterns repeat throughout...
Mar 14, 2022 | Art Tutorials, Mindfulness
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...
Jan 24, 2022 | Art journaling tutorial, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Last year, during all the stress of the pandemic and lockdown, I pondered a simple question: What would happen if I created the simplest thing I could in my journal today? It’s a pretty radical question, isn’t it? How often do...
Dec 6, 2021 | Art Supplies, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: This year, in the spirit of reducing the amount of stuff that might end up in our oceans or landfills, I’m suggesting some less tangible, but highly valuable gifts. Some of them are completely free, and others are an investment....
Dec 6, 2021 | Art Supplies, Creative Self-Care, Favorite
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: While I tend towards minimalism, I enjoy a new art supply from time to time as much as the next person. But for me this is the key: I buy just a few, high quality supplies so that they work well and keep me having fun. Here are a few of...
Nov 15, 2021 | Art journaling tutorial, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Every fall, I compile a list of books that have made an impact on me that year. I include a broad scope of topics because our art practice is made up of bits and pieces from every part of our lives. I think about books as an important...
Aug 30, 2021 | Creative Self-Care, Inspiration
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Over the last two weeks, we engaged in a simple art challenge. The idea was to create for a short period of time, on a small square, every day for 12 days. You were invited to let go of perfectionism and embrace play and...
Aug 16, 2021 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: One of the most common questions I get from students is this: How do I develop my style as an artist? It’s a logical question, but it’s the wrong question. Trying to develop your artistic “style” is a bit like...
Aug 3, 2021 | Art Tutorials, Free
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...
Jul 19, 2021 | Art Supplies, Art Tutorials
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...
Jun 21, 2021 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: One of the things that has fascinated me most about art over the last few years is how powerful it is when we create space. I find the less I do, the more I make. For me, and my students, it’s about creating space: Physical space in...
May 3, 2021 | Art journaling tutorial, Art Tutorials
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...
Apr 19, 2021 | Creative Self-Care, Mindfulness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: What is sparking your creativity these days? For me, it’s been the tiny, itty bitty interior spaces of natural objects. I’m fascinated by the abstract shapes made by the gills of a fungus, or the holes and crevices in a piece...
Mar 1, 2021 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Finding the time to do the things we love can be hard – especially when so many things compete for our attention, and especially during a pandemic. I’ve been hearing from students for years about how hard it is to find the...
Jan 25, 2021 | Art journaling tutorial, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: One of the things I’ve thought a lot about since the start of the pandemic is how we not only cope, but thrive amidst difficulty. Some folks are in survival mode because of their family, job issues, mental health issues, or other...
Jan 6, 2021 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Greetings to you in 2021! In the fall each year, I take time to reflect on the year just past. Overall, Iv’e been very lucky, and despite all the difficulties, I feel very grateful for what 2020 taught me, especially from many great...
Dec 1, 2020 | Art Supplies
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Each year I compile a short list of gifts that I think would be wonderfully nurturing for the artists in your life. It’s a list that I hope you as an artist share with your loved ones to give them ideas, and also as a way to spur...
Nov 16, 2020 | Art Supplies
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Each fall I compile a list of books that have inspired me throughout the year. I love sharing the books that have inspired my work and enriched my life. While I’m usually share books mostly about art and artists, I’ve realized...
Sep 28, 2020 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Over the weekend, I was listening to an On Being episode with artist Dario Robleto. His work centers on using unexpected materials to remember: the earliest recorded pulse waves cast in gold, his parents’ record collections ground...
Sep 21, 2020 | Art Tutorials
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...
Aug 25, 2020 | Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: When I line up a bunch of little papers, and make playful swoops, marks, and swaths of color, it feels playful and free. When I’m staring at a big, blank piece of paper or a canvas, it can sometimes create pressure. – you...
