Top 10 Artist Challenges for 2026

Here are ten of the biggest challenges visual artists (painters, illustrators, digital artists, sculptors, etc.) are likely to face in 2026, based on how trends today seem to be evolving. Several are continuations or intensifications of problems already underway. Top...

The Power of Serious Networking

[Please subscribe to Eric Maisel: Thinking Aloud, which brings you a new “Tales of the Creative Life” every Tuesday and a new “The Craft of Coaching with Eric Maisel” every Thursday. You can subscribe for free here.] Here are 10 strong reasons why serious...

10 Tips for Selecting Watercolor Paper

[Please subscribe to Eric Maisel: Thinking Aloud, which brings you a new “Tales of the Creative Life” every Tuesday and a new “The Craft of Coaching with Eric Maisel” every Thursday. You can subscribe for free here.] 10 Tips for Selecting Watercolor Paper Choose 100%...

10 Tips for Artists Looking For Unpaid Publicity

[Please subscribe to Eric Maisel: Thinking Aloud, which brings you a new “Tales of the Creative Life” every Tuesday and a new “The Craft of Coaching with Eric Maisel” every Thursday. You can subscribe for free here.] Here are ten practical tips for artists looking to...

Ten Historical Artist Brands

Using the word “brand” very loosely, here are how ten artists from past eras have “branded” themselves through persona, presentation, or myth-making. Does these examples spur some imagining in you? Michelangelo (1475–1564): The Divine Genius Michelangelo branded...