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Dear Dr. Maisel: I’ve been painting for a long time but I have the feeling that I still haven’t found my own voice as an artist. Do you have any suggestions for how an artist can go about discovering what she really wants to say? Leslie T., Flagstaff ** Thank you,...

Dear Dr. Maisel: I have a certain style and I’m pretty comfortable doing what I currently do. But I also have the itch to stretch and try some new things. Do you have any suggestions for how I might expand my repertoire? Lionel F., Detroit ** Thanks, Lionel. There may...

YOUR CREATIVITY PRACTICE 1. What is a practice? It is a way that you take your existence seriously, one breath at a time, one thought at a time, one moment at a time. It is the daily routine of paying attention where you have intentions. It looks like the silence of...

Dear Dr. Maisel: I spend a lot of my day thinking about painting rather than actually painting. Probably you have a lot of things to suggest but what would your number one tip be to help me get more painting done? Frank W., Taos, New Mexico * Thanks, Frank. My number...

Dear Dr. Maisel: I have a deadline coming up where I’m supposed to deliver some paintings for a show and the deadline is making me really anxious! Any suggestions? Harriet R., Spokane * Thanks, Harriet! Let’s look at this issue closely because it’s very important....

It’s often the case that we’re reasonably confident somewhere inside of us—we have some real confidence to access—but when it comes to accessing it for some specific reason, liking getting on with our painting or contacting a particular gallery, we can’t seem to...

CONFIDENTLY NAVIGATING THE CREATIVE PROCESS In the second part of this series on artist’s confidence I’d like to paint a picture of what confidence looks like during each stage of the creative process. Stage 1. Wishing I’m conceptualizing ‘wishing’ as a kind of...

I thought that I’d chat for a few columns about the subject of confidence. You may feel quite confident in some areas of your life—and then find yourself much weaker than you would like when you get to the canvas or when you need to talk to a gallery owner. A...

Recently I got an email from a painter in Rhode Island. She wrote, “I'm a perfectionist and I want my artwork to be perfect. Sometimes this prevents me from getting started on a new project or from finishing one. I think to myself: If it's not going to be the best,...

You came into the world already somebody. But how can you access information about your original personality? Try the following. Write to the prompt: “I believe I came into the world already [sad, smart, stubborn, stoical, solitary, etc.]. What are the likely lifelong...