The Best Gifts for Artists 2020
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...
The Mindful Art Studio Book List 2020
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...
How I Grieved My Brother’s Death Through Art
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...
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...
Making Small Art Work
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...
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...
Drawing to Calm Anxiety
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Whether you are quarantined at home, or an essential worker going out into the world to make sure the rest of us get our needs met, most of us are feeling anxious, out of sorts, and generally unsure of what to do with ourselves, at least...
Art Can Help Us Through Times of Loneliness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Like many of you, I’m feeling some anxiety in this time of uncertainty. When I lay down to go to sleep at night, there are a host of thoughts and anxious questions that start reeling through my mind. These questions need to get set...
Why I’m Obsessed with High Flow Acrylic Paint
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Students frequently ask me about high flow paints, and why I like them so much. I thought it was an excellent question and wanted to share why I’m obsessed with high flow acrylic paints with you as well. Let me first say a word or...
Layered Art Journal Pages
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I thought it would be fun to give you an idea about how to work in a “process oriented” way in your art journal. It’s time we kicked perfectionism to the curb! Let’s focus on finding the joy in making art again....
Art Alchemy Is Open for Registration
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: At the end of 2019, I thought about what I wanted to offer in 2020. I thought about what you needed most in your art practice. I thought about what I needed too. And as I reflected on your feedback in classes, the blog, social media, and...
Drawing Beautiful & Imperfect Faces
If only you give your portraits a chance to exist – imperfectly, beautifully, just like us – they will take you magical places.
Best Gifts for Artists 2019
Each year I compile a list of my favorite art related supplies for the year. This year I’ve included supplies to help you make art on the go, empower your artistic voice, decorate your home with original art, and finally take that class with me that you’ve been dreaming about. These are the best gifts for artists in 2019.
Finding Your Creative Spark
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Today I have the pleasure of sharing a lovely podcast interview I did with Suzanne Redmond, of The Left Brain Artist. You may be familiar with this podcast already, as Suzanne has a thoughtful, easy-going style and has interviewed some of...
My Art Book Wish List 2019
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Each fall I compile a list of my favorite art books. My hope is to inspire you to keep your world brimming with creative inspiration and encouragement, as I find this is an essential part of feeding my own art practice. This year,...
Perfectionism is Ruining Your Art Practice
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Lately I’ve been thinking about the importance of finishing things, and it’s relationship to perfectionsim. I don’t know if this happens to you, but sometimes I look around and notice I have about 6 or 7 art pieces in...
Why Creative Gatherings Matter
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I am writing to you today, just FILLED with creative joy! I’ve just returned from The Gathering of the Creatives in Santa Fe, NM. I want to reflect with you about why creative gatherings matter. For starters, look at the faces in...
100 Ways to Fill Your Sketchbook
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Figuring out what to do when you sit down to create can sometimes feel overwhelming. Keeping a sketchbook is a great way to cultivate your ideas and turn them from seeds into something inspiring. I did that recently, as I set out to use...
What’s In My Travel Art Kit
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I am really passionate about making art on the go. Whether I’m camping for a week in the woods, in NYC for the weekend, or waiting in the doctor’s office, a travel art kit helps me put so much more art play time in my life....
Creating Mindful Art
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I am always fascinated by the topic of paying attention and inspiration as an artist.The more I pay attention with a curiosity, and a sense that, yes, I WILL see or experience something that inspires me, the more I do gather inspiration....
Be More Curious, Make More Art
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: How does curiosity relate to art making? I think there are a number of ways, and I’d like to show you some of my paper cut journals to illustrate how you can be more curious, and make more art. Curious Artists Indulge in Really...
Get Inspired with Paper Cutting Artist Carol Held
Get inspired to do paper cutting when you see the work of paper cut artist, Carol Held.
5 Ways to Fill Your Sketchbook
Use these 5 simple methods to fill your sketchbook, gather your ideas, and improve your drawing skills.
Paper Cut Art Journal Tutorial
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: There is so much that’s beautiful and intriguing to me about a paper cut art journal. You might remember that I did my first one a few months ago, and shared it in this post. Now that I’ve begun my second one, I thought it...
Making Art with Simple Materials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: When was the last time you felt completely engrossed in your creative process? Lately I’ve been incredibly engrossed in my art, making art with simple materials. I’d like to help you imagine the same for yourself. In your...
How to Develop Your Artistic Style
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Here’s what I most want you to know about how to develop your artistic style: you can’t force it. When coaching clients and students tell me they want to develop a style, I suggest that what they need is not a style, but a...
5 Ways to Begin (and Finish) an Art Journal Page
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: One of the most common issues that folks run into when they first start trying to keep an art journal is how to begin an art journal page. Some people have too many ideas, some have none at all, and lots doubt their artistic ability. Art...
Top Mindful Art Journaling Ideas to Inspire and Calm
Dear Wonderful Creative You: I’ve been looking back at what I and my students have accomplished in 2018. This year, I wanted to spend more time with you in “live” online classes. We did that in Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions of Diving Deep....