When you read this title, "how to take yourself seriously as an artist" what does this mean? Well, I am going to break down the meaning of this how to, what "seriously" entails and whether or not you are ready to call yourself an artist. Clear Vision As artists, we tend to get swept up in many different creative endeavors. The most important place to start if you want to take yourself seriously, is to have a clear vision of what you are desiring to accomplish. Everything that you do from ... continue reading...
How to Deal With Failure as an Artist
Failure is inevitable, it is just a matter of when, how and with what. Knowing that fact alone can prepare you for future failure. In this post, I will share three keys for how to deal with failure as an artist. Sometimes we need to separate feeling from fact. At the same time, you are the only one who can define what failure is for you as an artist. Change Your Perspective Failure is a very strong word with very negative connotations. It also sounds final, like what you have been ... continue reading...
How to Create From a Place of Joy
As artists, we create for many different reasons. We may feel called to create, maybe we naturally fell into it because of our environment or due to the need to provide financially. Someone or something inspired a creative spark that we chose to follow. In this post, I will explore why creating from a place of joy is important and how to make this happen in your creative practice. Why does this matter? Creating from a place of joy matters because you have to have purpose behind what you do ... continue reading...
How Creative Play Can Teach You Patience
Recently, I laid out large pieces of watercolor paper all along my kitchen island and invited my eight year old son to participate with me in a laying down watercolor strokes. The idea was to get the brush, water and paint moving to build a collection of marks. These marks would be sifted through to become contenders in my current pattern collection work. Even though there wasn't a specific plan, I knew we would both learn something. And hopefully have fun and bond at the same time. What I ... continue reading...
How to Start a Pattern Collection
As a beginner in pattern design, I am humbly sharing my process. I am not an expert by all means but I have been creating patterns for almost three years. As I grow and learn, my process becomes more streamlined and refined. In this post I will share all of the initial steps I take when I start a pattern collection. Tell a Story I often weave where I am in my journey as an artist and a coach for artists when I think of the overall story of my collection. For my first collection, ... continue reading...
