Creativity and entrepreneurs: New leaders are revolutionizing business through creative thinking - and they're learning those skills from artists.
The New Business Paradigm: More Creativity, Less Logic – Day 271
Environmental Dreams: Viewing the World Like an Astronaut – Day 269
Artists are deeply aware of the environment in which they live and create. For some, it is the energy of the world’s greatest cities that inspires their work. For others, it is the natural world – particularly the increasing fragility of this world as natural forces and human development threaten its existence. Pat Musick is... Continue Reading →
Beyond Barbie: Nudes We Can Really Relate To – Day 250
Growing up with Barbie as an example of the “perfect” female body, followed by the pencil-thin models in the fashion world, young girls often develop unrealistic ideas of what they’re “supposed” to look like. It takes an artist, one who sees the nude body – imperfections and all – as the ultimate subject for a... Continue Reading →
Katrina: Applauding New Orleans – Day 241
Art is often inspired by events with great emotional power. Artists are particularly sensible and, even if we have no intention of producing work to commemorate a disaster or to celebrate a success story, we are often moved to create from it anyway. Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of... Continue Reading →
A Wearable Canvas – Day 234
Artists are always looking for ways to expand their market while protecting the integrity of their work. Sculptors cast their sculptures in alternative materials while painters might create a series of limited-edition prints or find other unique ways to get their work out to a wider public. Richard Malinsky’s paintings are collected for their emotionally... Continue Reading →
Painting with a Lear Jet and Other Unusual Mediums – Day 229
Inspiration can come from anywhere and the Artist Mind thrives on the unusual and the unexpected. For many artists, researching alternative mediums brings new perspectives into their creative practice. Diane Clement is an artist who uses a wide variety of products and techniques, mixing assorted paints, water, beer, wine, oils, alcohol….and even Lear jets! “I... Continue Reading →
Telling Stories: Participation and Observation – Day 227
We all have our unique ways of sharing our experiences with others, mostly through the stories we tell our family and friends. Those of us who are artists have a second language we also use for storytelling – a visual one. Sometimes we can share more with a single image than we could in an... Continue Reading →
When Adversity Sparks A Creative Odyssey – Day 219
Art can serve as a means of expression when adversity strikes. It can provide an escape, it can offer solace or it can be a way to express and sort through the emotions that surround the event. But for painter Brian Glenn Truex, art also became a tool to explore the development of his inner... Continue Reading →
Do Inner-City Kids Need Art? – Day 198
In recent years, art education has been on the front line of school budget cuts in the U.S., which raises the question: Is art really a necessary component of an effective educational curriculum? Ask the kids from a certain inner-city school in Chicago’s south side……. Meg Peterson is an artist with studios in Chicago and... Continue Reading →
Shaman of the Knives
There is a legend among the Inuit of the Northwest Territories of Canada that tells the story of Kujiak, a young boy who was considered an outcast by his mother and three sisters and forced to live with the dogs in the foyer of their igloo. He had made himself a knife in order to... Continue Reading →
Wild Thoughts and Bowls – Day 159
The expression of movement is always a challenge for those of us who work with the sculptural form – but when an artist transcends the grounded physicality of the medium, the result can be one of awe and surprise. Johnson Cheung-shing Tsang is a Hong Kong sculptor specializing in ceramics, stainless steel sculpture and public... Continue Reading →
Embracing Diversity – Day 130
In most creative realms, trends are often what drives sales and, particularly in recent years, a majority of the large-scale, commercially-driven art, music, film and literature we consume is created from proven “formulas” and popular themes. I am always grateful to discover artists who explore subjects, themes and styles that are outside of the mainstream... Continue Reading →
An Alphabet of Sand, Seaweed and Nails – Day 114
Humble organics in the service of a greater purpose. The deeply complex abstract paintings of Saba Hasan from New Delhi, India have a universal language that transcends culture and politics and speaks directly to the heart. Hasan’s materials are her alphabet. She’s been known to use nails, fabric, sand and leaves, slashing the work and... Continue Reading →
Art Takes Time – Day 112
#101 – Art takes time to create and one must take the time to experience it. Here are more inspiring thoughts from previous essays: Day 108 - Should Art Match the Furniture? Day 114 - An Alphabet of Sand, Seaweed and Nails Day 82 - How to See with the Eyes of a Stranger Art... Continue Reading →
Art and Mysticism – Day 111
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 111 of the 365 Days Project is by Jina Wallwork.] Life, death, art, rebirth. Bringing the mysteries into the physical world. #111 – Artists and mystics walk the path beyond the veil, moving from the physical world into the realm of spirit. While both use that experience in their work,... Continue Reading →
A Green Alternative to Printmaking – Day 110
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 110 of the 365 Days Project is by Dan Welden.] Visual artists often work with toxic materials, sometimes sacrificing their health in the pursuit of their art. Here is one artist’s “green” alternative. #110 – Taking the “toxic” out of making art. Most of the visual artists I know are... Continue Reading →
Book Sculptures – The Art of Dissecting Books – Day 109
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 109 of the 365 Days Project is by Brian Dettmer.] The inevitable decline of the hardcover book has inspired a sculptural artist to find ways to repurpose them. Brian Dettmer is well-known for his innovative sculptures created from old books, often incorporating entire sets of encyclopedias into his art. It... Continue Reading →
Should Art Match the Furniture? – Day 108
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 108 of the 365 Days Project is by John Zajac.] Is art supposed to match the furniture? #108 – Art is for everyone, regardless of income, education or cultural background. But it is not merely decorative. Purchasing fine art has long been the exclusive realm of kings and queens, savvy... Continue Reading →
A Gift from the Left Hand – Day 107
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 107 of the 365 Days Project is by Francelise Dawkins.] The right brain, the left hand and a gift of intuitive creation... #107 – Although Artists can be left- or right-handed, the Artist Mind is linked to the left side of the body and in certain cultures, left-handed dominance is... Continue Reading →
The World is a Candy Store – Day 106
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 106 of the 365 Days Project is by Stephen J. Tyson.] #106 - The world is a candy store for the Artist Mind. The world is a treasure chest for artists. The creative muse is everywhere – in the past and present, in science and art, in music, nature and... Continue Reading →
How to Keep One’s Roots – Day 105
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 105 of the 365 Days Project is by Lenny Novak.] How do we keep the roots of our culture, our traditions as we move forward in the contemporary world? #105 – The Artist Mind is always moving towards innovation. Keeping the roots of tradition while moving forward is a delicate... Continue Reading →
The Artist’s Sketchbook – The Holy Grail to the Creative Mind – Day 104
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 104 of the 365 Days Project is by Jason Anthony Limberg.] The Artist’s sketchbook is often the closest thing to getting inside the Artist’s Mind. #104 – The Artist’s sketchbook is the place for pure, unbridled creation. Impulses, wisps of ideas, fragments of creative flashes are collected – a ready... Continue Reading →
Artists and Dyslexia – Day 103
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 103 of the 365 Days Project is by Michelle Vara.] What do Steve Jobs, Tom Cruise, Lewis Carroll, Steven Spielberg and Leonardo daVinci have in common? #103 – While not all Artists are dyslexic, the Artist Mind is the portal through which dyslexics experience their world. A vivid imagination. An... Continue Reading →
True Creative Human Relations – Day 102
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 102 of the 365 Days Project is by Kokichi Umezaki.] Imagine the power of living as a truly creative human being... #102 – The Artist Mind can teach us to live through the deep symbolism of a creative life. As I continue this journey celebrating artists and the creative mind... Continue Reading →
Art is not a Day Job – Day 101
#101 – Art is not a day job. It is a way of being in the world. Ask any artist why they create. It is not a deliberate choice, it is a way of experiencing and understanding the world, ourselves and each other. Here are more inspiring thoughts from previous essays: Day 24 - The... Continue Reading →
Installations: Experiential Playrooms for Adults – Day 100
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 100 of the 365 Days Project is by John Paul Gardner.] No “fuzzy ropes” surrounding this artwork, although entanglement could be an issue... #100 – Art that is “experienced” rather than simply “observed” often requires the courage to drop social conventions and physically embrace our creative side. Installation art used... Continue Reading →
The Artful Egg – Day 99
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 99 of the 365 Days Project is by Gary LeMaster] Pushing the boundaries of the traditional Easter Egg - and how a color-blind boy became an artist... #99 – The Artist Mind knows no limitations. Anything is possible. I was actually looking for pysanky. I wanted to write a special... Continue Reading →
The Impact of Art on the Artist – Day 98
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 98 of the 365 Days Project is by Zev Jonas.] We all know the effect art can have on the viewer. But what is the impact of the work on the one who creates it? #98 – Contemplating a work of art is not the same as creating it. There... Continue Reading →
The Two-Career Artist- Day 97
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 97 of the 365 Days Project is by BiJian Fan.] When the passion to create arrives in the middle of a profitable career. #97 – The decision to maintain an “alternate career” for any Artist is a personal one. Managing two careers takes great discipline as well as an ability... Continue Reading →
Transcending Technique: Art as a Spiritual Dance – Day 96
[Today’s featured artwork for Day 96 of the 365 Days Project is by Cathy Locke.] Technique is important to solid creative endeavors. But there’s more to art than technique... #96 – Technique lays the groundwork for the eventual dance with the creative muse. One of my earliest recollections as an artist was my frustration with... Continue Reading →
