As a teacher of abstract painting, I see recurring themes in artist’s struggles with their art. One of these is the sentiment: “I feel like my art doesn’t measure up to what I want it to be”. There are 4 big traps that artists face in their life cycle as artists. These are the places […]
The Artist’s Journey: Unfettered Self Expression in Art
The Artist’s Journey: A conversation between the spontaneous and the considered When creating an abstract painting, there’s an interaction between unfettered self expression and awareness of principles that scaffold and create visual engagement. It’s an ongoing dialogue and dance. If your art is purely about spontaneity the risk is a chaotic painting with little […]
The Artist’s Journey: Making The Journey Yours
Inside The Artist’s Journey Book: Personalizing Your Journey/Making The Journey Yours The artist’s journey is an inner journey. It’s about facing yourself and the inner perils of creating- and going ahead anyway. The Artist’s Journey book exhorts you to move closer and closer to your deepest self expression in your art and life. Artist Kathy Kimball […]
The Artist’s Journey: The Long Game
There’s a big game today in America- the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is an an American sports tradition associated with the consumption of vast amounts of junk fund and the wagering of staggering amounts of money. The GDP of some small countries pales in comparison. It’s a zero sum game. There’s a winner […]
The Artist’s Journey: Highlights From The Book Launch
Highlights from The Artist’s Journey book launch The Artist’s Journey Is An Inner Journey One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years in being an artist as well as working with artists in workshops and classes is that being an artist is ultimately an inner journey. While we learn concepts, principles and techniques, we find […]
The Artist’s Journey: Carpe Diem
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero -Horace, Odes (23 B.C.) I love this Latin aphorism from Horace’s Odes which translates to: “Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow”. Memento mori (remember you are mortal) is another phrase Horace used in relation to carpe diem to urge us to use the knowledge of our mortality […]
The Artist’s Journey: Celebrating Serendipity In Art & Life
Serendipity in Art & Life A painting must be free to wander. The best works are those that seem to simply happen. Michael Cutlip I love this quote by Michael Cutlip. Years ago, I was carving a marble sculpture, creating a hole through the piece that was emerging as an abstract heart, when the chisel […]
Living Your Artist’s Journey- Looking Forward, Looking Back
Living Your Artist’s Journey I’m Nancy Hillis of The Artist’s Journey and I’m so excited for the new year and also for the year we’ve had in 2018. I want to thank you for being here on the journey this year. Thank you for this year of living your artist’s journey. So many things have […]
The One Thing in Abstract Art
I had an ‘aha’ recently after talking with artists in our Artist’s Journey group. We’d been discussing painting for yourself, finding what you love, searching and finding your way, exploring and experimenting. [Note: I have a video for you at the bottom of this post]. I saw that each artist was stretching and risking and […]
When You Finally Say Yes To Your Dream To Create
The Call to Create When you finally say yes to your dream to create, everything changes. You’re living your life and something calls you. You yearn for meaning, a new experience, something that brings you alive. But you hesitate. You’re afraid. You feel anxious and torn. You feel overwhelmed. You don’t know how or where […]