Blog

It is amazing how fast January slips by. At such times, when our new year’s resolutions begin to fade and life seems busier and drearier than ever, what may be required is a little “self-forgiveness”: we had so many intentions and life keeps zipping along! Without...

As a working artist you probably don’t have a lot of time to think about the current state of mental health services or the nature of (and problems with) the dominant mental health paradigm of “diagnosing and treating mental disorders.” You’re probably a little too...

Ready to start planning for the upcoming year? To begin with, here are five straightforward elements of a daily plan: 1. Start each day with a simple, eloquent plan like “I am painting today.” 2. Create a daily mantra that you use to keep yourself on track. It might...

1. I will create every day in 2016. Or almost every day! 2. I will market every day in 2016. Or at least on lots of days! 3. I will make some new, excellent connections in 2016. And not just Facebook friends and twitter followers! 4. I will find at least one person...

Last week we looked at how you could effectively present yourself to a family member who was angry about your decision to be an artist, derided or ridiculed your decision to be an artist, complained that you were not pulling your weight financially, or scoffed at your...

If someone in your family is angry about your decision to be an artist, derides or ridicules your decision to be an artist, complains that you are not pulling your weight financially, or scoffs at your chances to succeed as an artist, you are stuck with a...

It’s hard to make art and it’s hard to sell art. How much harder is all that if your family isn’t behind you or actively undercuts your efforts? Why would a family member undercut you? Maybe your mate is pressuring you to make money and contribute to the family...

I’ve written a lot about the real issues and the emotional life of artists. I’ve tackled creativity and depression in books like The Van Gogh’s Blues and Rethinking Depression, creativity and anxiety in books like Mastering Creative Anxiety and Performance Anxiety,...

Here are some last things to consider: + Will you ask participants to evaluate the experience? You need not consider this a requirement or an obligation: ask for feedback and/or an evaluation only if you feel like doing so. However, you should ask for an endorsement....

Step 7. Run Your Class, Workshop or Retreat You’ve created your class, workshop or retreat, dealt with all the details, marketed and promoted it well enough that you have sufficient participants, and now—it’s time to run it! Here are some things to keep in mind: +...