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Do you want to increase your discipline and your devotion? Here are a dozen inspirational quotes to help you do just that! "People think I am disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference."-- Luciano Pavarotti "I had what it takes to...

What will help you prove the exception and up your chances of succeeding in the arts? Here are three tips: 1. Understand why “proving the exception” is vital First, understand this point. There are many places in life where you might want to “prove the rule” and not...

Last week I chatted about “the maybe trap.” Each of us knows why we shouldn’t hang out in maybe. This week I chat about how to break out of the maybe trap! Maybe is a state that puts us right the verge of meaninglessness. Maybe plays to our weaknesses, our anxieties,...

Are you trapped in maybe, that special indecisiveness that can haunt an artist? Find out more now! What does being trapped in maybe sound like? Q: “Which will be your painting days this week?” A: “Maybe I can get in some painting on Tuesday and Thursday.” Q: “Will you...

Creativity isn’t something to control. We love to feel like we’re in control and endeavoring to be in control in really appropriate in many situations, like when we’re operating a band saw. But creating requires that we loosen up, engage in process, and see what...

If you’re trying to solve a creative problem—or any problem—there’s no better method than to sleep on it. Whether it’s a nap or a night’s sleep, your brain thinks while it sleeps when it isn’t dreaming and this sleep thinking often produces some of our best...

Our many, many years of schooling dulls our imagination. During our school years, we’re obliged to regurgitate facts. When was the last time you really let your imagination run wild? When was the last time you said to yourself, “What would happen if I put a salmon and...

If you’re working on a creative project and you skip it for a few days, you may end up losing not only days but weeks, months and even years. It’s easy not to return to a creative project when we put it aside and lose contact with it. The solution? Pick a number of...

Say that you fail to make a sale that you thought was going to happen or get rejected by a gallery where you really wanted to show. There’s a particular tactic you can employ to put this unfortunate (but not uncommon) incident behind you. That’s to “get a grip on your...

What has helped me a lot over the years is moving from the idea of discipline to the idea of devotion. Pavarotti once said, “People say that I’m disciplined but it’s not discipline, it’s devotion, and there’s a big difference.” There is! I discovered that I couldn’t...