Late summer

I don’ t know about you but I feel really mixed about late summer. In a way, I am ready to get back to the routine of teaching; getting up early, packing lunch the night before. Part of me thrives on the rigid schedule of structured days. But the other part of me revolts. I […]

Marketing your work- Part 2, Potential Markets

Imagine you are in a place where you have too much work. Too much work to have around the house- too many paintings to fit on the walls. Too many candles to give away to friends and family. Too many songs rattling around on your computer! What do you do with them once you have […]

Marketing your work- part 1

Just the mention of the word ‘marketing’ might make you shudder. Perhaps not, but if that is you then I have some advice. While the concept of marketing is an important one, the word has a nasty connotation. You might think of corporate meeting rooms where men in suits talk about the best ways to […]

Essentialism and creativity

I haven’t been reading as much lately as I used to. I do listen to books on tape and podcasts on my way to work and home, but overall, I just haven’t been doing as much lately. But I just found this book that is going to be amazing. How can I tell? Well, I […]

Taking the leap

I wrote last week about picking one thing to focus on. This week I want to go more in depth about that. Narrowing your focus down to one thing can be a challenge, especially if you have a ton of interests. However the even bigger challenge can be what you decide you want to focus […]

Choose one thing

Have you ever been in a position where you are trying to juggle too many creative projects? Have you ever not been in that position? I feel like I am fighting that urge all the time. I see a cool project idea “I could make that!” Then I go through the process of getting all the materials, […]

Boost your creativity NOW!

I am a creativity coach. I work with people to help them to transform their creative lives. I can help you, too. Many people think ‘I am not creative,’ or ‘I am too old/ young/ busy/ to be creative.’ I think that’s a load of nonsense and I will tell you why. I believe that […]

Failure

Let’s talk about failure. There’s all this talk about the benefits of failing lately. “Fail early and fail often!” We hear. But how do we do that if we are afraid to start? What are you really afraid of when you are afraid to fail? Not achieving whatever it is you want to achieve! Perhaps […]

I can’t do THAT!

How many times a (pick one) minute/ day/ month/ year  do you hear yourself say ‘I can’t do that!’ Maybe you say it to yourself or maybe out loud, it really doesn’t matter. Why do you say that? Is it honestly something that you have tried your best to do, and you weren’t successful? Or […]

Habits, Revisited

Habits Revisited Hi there! I just wanted to share an amazing strategy that I have started using for getting back into creativity just over a week ago, and it works! Get it done early. Like, first thing early. Wake up. Brush teeth. Get creative. Give yourself an hour or 30 minutes or whatever works for […]

Resistance

How many of you know exactly what you want to accomplish creatively- raise your hand? Me too! Ok, of those people who know what you want to do creatively, how many people just can’t find the time to actually sit down to DO it? Raise your hand. Me too! Why is that? I think there […]

Happy New Year!

It’s that time of year when people start to make resolutions. I think of resolutions as a negative thing, made with positive intentions. For example, ‘I will not eat sugar.” Wanting to be healthy is great, but when you frame it like that, it’s not going to get you anywhere. ‘I want to feel good […]

Colors

Colors What is your favorite color? Today mine is green, yesterday it was purple and tomorrow- that coral that you see around the sun as it is setting. Mmm- delicious! I love mixing colors. Taking them right out of the tube is not nearly as fun. I like to paint things that inspire me; a […]

Rocks are cool

I love the way extreme heat and pressure in rocks manifests itself in such a beautiful array of different stones that we can use in jewelry!   Setting stones into jewelry is a fun way to incorporate color and patterns into your work. Incorporating cabochons (flat bottomed stones) into jewelry is easier than you might […]

Do I really look like that?

I am wrapping up the drawing unit with my Art 1 students, and the last assignment is a self portrait. Most people shrink in fear when they think of drawing a self portrait. The self criticism that it evokes can be incredibly stressful for anyone that is not a professional artist. In a room of […]

Just for fun

Just for fun Sometimes I get stuck on thinking that everything I make has to be practical. I have always been practically minded, but as a busy working parent every minute seems to be accounted for. Making things to eat, making things to sell, making things to use are all valid. However, there are many […]

Fire and Metal

There is something so dramatic about casting. The fire, sense of mystery, and transformation of a material from wax to metal is so magical that I love sharing the process with others. The process is also very zen, because as much work as you put into your piece, there is no guarantee that your piece […]

Creativity

  I am creative every day, but sometimes I still feel like what I do doesn’t ‘count’ as creative. Why? Because it’s not formal enough, didn’t take long enough, or wouldn’t be able to sell. But that is not my motivation for doing creative things. I create because it nurtures me and is part of […]