Finding Your Creative Community in Every Season of Life Every once in a while, a neighbor will stop me on a walk and ask, “How’s the art coming along?” And I never quite know how to answer. “Oh… good! Busy!” I usually say with an awkward smile, which is true, but I know what they’re … Keep reading…
The Quiet Power of Setting an Intention After I returned from teaching my art retreat in France, I wrote about something I was still trying to understand: how an experience could be absolutely wonderful and completely exhausting at the same time. Read it here: BOTH THINGS CAN BE TRUE The response to that article surprised … Keep reading…
We Don’t Have to Choose One Version of the Story A little over a week after returning home from teaching an art retreat in France, I found myself struggling to walk upstairs because my lungs were completely worn out. Unfortunately, the feeling was a little too familiar. The year before, after teaching a retreat in … Keep reading…
What I love goes to France… For several weeks before leaving for France to teach at my in-person workshop, my bedroom floor looked like a disorganized garage sale. There were sweaters, shirts, jackets, shoes, and what felt like fifteen versions of the “perfect travel pants” spread everywhere. I was heading to the Loire Valley to … Keep reading…
5 pro tips for using a 5-year journal Every morning, I open a book that contains fourteen years of my life, and it’s one of my favorite parts of the day. If you’re not familiar with a five-year journal, the idea is wonderfully simple. Instead of filling pages and pages every day, you write just … Keep reading…
Create a Stronger Art Series With Repetition and Variation Have you ever put several collages next to each other and wondered why they don’t quite feel like they belong together? Maybe you love each one individually, but when you see them side by side, they look more like five separate pieces that happen to be … Keep reading…
The Real Secret to Becoming a Better Artist I used to think there was some secret to “making it” as an artist. When I looked at artists whose work I admired, it seemed as though they had crossed some invisible line that I hadn’t reached yet. Maybe they knew something I didn’t. Maybe they were … Keep reading…
The moment I step onto the sand, something in me changes. My shoulders drop. My breathing slows down. And my brain, which normally has about seventeen different things happening at once, gets noticeably quieter. This is the sixth time I’ve taken what I lovingly call my solo art beach retreat, and over the years, it … Keep reading…
The Habits That Changed My Life (And Why I Choose Them Carefully) Every morning, before I head into my art studio, I write a few lines in my five-year journal. If you’ve never seen one of these journals, each page represents one date, with just enough room to write a few lines each year. When … Keep reading…