Blog
Kill Maybe
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...
The Anxiety of Deadlines
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....
The Confident Artist, Part 3
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...
The Confident Artist, Part 2: Confidence Throughout the Creative Process
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...
The Confident Artist, Part 1
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...
Put Perfectionism in Your Rear-View Mirror
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,...
Original Personality Prompt for Artists
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...
17 Artists on Beauty
17 Artists on Beauty “The pain passes but the beauty remains.” -- Pierre Auguste Renoir “The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.” -- Francis Bacon “If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon nd yourself without it. But if you invest in beauty,...
Your Beauty Drawer
In every workshop that I lead, whatever its primary subject, I find it important to remind participants that each of them is the beauty in life. They each have an immaculate center or core that is their essential nature. Our thoughts may be very far from beautiful as...
Still Breathing?
In response to my post last week about tolerating ease, Walter commented: Eric: I think that there have been times when I myself felt like I was running a race with time – Trying to get as many images up on my site as possible. But now that I have a large number of...
