Artist Strong Blog
Enjoy interviews and articles about creative process and our inherent creative spirit.Creative Spirit Elissa Nesheim
Elissa Nesheim is a professional watercolor artist living and working in Northern California. Inspired by long drives across the hills and prairies of her first home, South Dakota, her watercolor landscapes are an impression, a feeling of the natural world. As a lover...
Dreaming Big and Falling Short
There’s a problem that comes with aiming HIGH and dreaming BIG. Sometimes you don’t make it. I know the rejection you can feel when you apply to 10 MFA programs, like the woman in Episode 204 of Season Two of Big Magic, who was refused from all of them. When I...
Do you struggle to finish your art?
Embrace Your Unfinished Art: The Creative Power of Multiple Projects I am curious: do you complete one project at a time or have multiple works in progress at the same time? When I polled community members the response was unanimous: you all have multiple projects you...
Creative Spirit Kerri Kokias
Kerri Kokias is a stay-at-home mom, children’s book author, and artist living in Seattle, Washington. Her wall hangings feature modern application of traditional fiber crafts such as embroidery, cross stitch, and weaving. Her work is characterized by a bold use of...
Tips & Tricks: 3 Ways to Build an Art Habit
In today’s Tips and Tricks I highlight 3 strategies for cultivating your artist habit: Your three articles for today: Creative Spirit Crystal Moody Creative Spirit Samantha Bennett How to Travel with Your Creativity Are you looking to find time, make space and commit...
Top Ten Takeaways: Deep Work
I heard an interview with Cal Newport talking about the importance of deep work and decided to pick up his book to read more. As creatives, we naturally incline towards deep work. Making art is a focused, time driven practice. Newport fears our new culture of...
Patreon Case Studies for Artists
Today we look at artists building their community (and income) using Patreon. Gwenn Seemel. I’m a fan. I’ve interviewed her as a Creative Spirit. I also admire her unique belief that copyright only hurts artists. She actively says people have the right to use her art....
Creative Spirit Amy Jones
Amy Jones of ‘Cheese Before Bedtime’ creates embroidery with a difference in her Auckland studio with husband Evan, baby Emme and dog Pepper by her side. She embraces interior trends, street fashion and kiwi culture in her textiles. Amy has a degree in Interior Design...
How artists can empower their money mindset
We have a problem of income with artists. It comes in spurts. Say you create twelve paintings. You release them all at once for sale, then they are gone. You have to make more paintings and promote the new ones to earn more money. There is a production piece that can...