Will you live to regret it if you don’t follow your dream of being an artist? At the end of your life, will you deeply regret taking the sure and safe path instead of the road less traveled? These are challenging questions, I admit. And as an artist, you may or may not have given […]
Reject the Rejection for Art Career Success
February 5, 2014 by 2 Comments
In 1902, an aspiring young writer received a rejection letter from the poetry editor of The Atlantic Monthly. Enclosed with a sheaf of poems the twenty-eight-year-old poet had sent was this curt note: “Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse.” The young poet rejected the rejection and went on to see his work […]
The Secret of All Genuinely Successful People
January 7, 2014 by 5 Comments
Did you ever go on a treasure hunt when you were a child, or read Poe’s “The Gold Bug”? Then you know the first thing you have to do before you can find the treasure is find the map. It may be hidden, it may be torn in half, or in a million pieces, but […]
Why I’ve Decided to Drill a Hole in My Head
March 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Have you ever wanted to drill a hole in your head? Have you ever thought about how much fun or what an adventure that might be? Did you know that our early human ancestors used to do it all the time? Well, after a lot of thinking it over, I’ve decided to take the plunge. […]
Are You Foolishly Consistent?
November 21, 2012 by 4 Comments
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Are you foolishly consistent? This quote comes from Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance.” And it reveals the essence of what is wrong with modern culture. The pull of culture is toward conformity at the expense of the individual. The individual gets lost in […]
Artists – Let Your Life Speak
October 19, 2012 by 4 Comments
“Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” – Francis of Assisi There is an old story about Quaker relief workers in Europe after World War II. After receiving help from the workers, a refugee asked what Quakers believe. When a few of the Quakers explained that they believed helping people with their […]
Why Artists Are the Luckiest People I Know
July 31, 2012 by 13 Comments
“Picasso was drawing like an angel in the crib.” – Louise Nevelson, Sculptor Artists are the luckiest people I know. That may sound a little funny to you, but it’s true. Without question, artists are the luckiest people. Here’s why I say this. A few years ago, I was at a friend’s house socializing with a […]
Going Through: Surviving the Swamplands of the Artistic Journey
July 23, 2012 by 10 Comments
“Truth is always on the side of the more difficult.” – Friedrich Nietzche Not too far from the small town where I grew up in northwest Louisiana, there is a long stretch of swamplands called, graphically enough, “Black Lake Swamp.” There is a paved highway with bridges that runs right through the heart of the […]
Hymn to the Barely Brave
May 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
This blog is for the barely brave and beginning lovers like me, who refuse to abandon their dream, now more humble and real, and struggle to meet life and even death head on. It is for those who value personal freedom as their most precious gift and want to make of life the joy it […]
