Tag: artist tips

Every artist has little things that mean a lot, maybe it’s a childhood toy, a pattern you loved in your grandmother’s kitchen, or a recurring motif you notice in dreams. These small, personal symbols carry stories that only you fully understand, and they can become powerful tools in your art. When someone else sees them, even if they don’t grasp every layer, they feel a connection, like a secret handshake. Think about a painting that features a little paper boat. To you, it might be a memory of a rainy afternoon,…

Why It’s Time to Show the Messy Middle We all love the final piece, the polished canvas, the perfectly lit photograph, the sculpture that stands proud and complete. But what about the versions before that? The smudged pages, the failed attempts, the half-formed ideas that eventually led you there? Most artists hide those moments. But here’s the thing: they’re gold.  Audiences are no longer content with just the result. They want to know the story behind it, the hands that shaped it, and the journey it took to arrive. Including works…

Your Portfolio Is More Than a Showcase A lot of artists think of a portfolio as simply a place to show their best pieces. That mindset, while understandable, misses a crucial opportunity. Your portfolio is more than a gallery of good work. It’s a story, a curated experience that tells viewers who you are, how you think, and what your artistic evolution looks like. When you stop seeing your portfolio as a brag board and start seeing it as a journey, the narrative flow becomes your best tool. Think about the…