Tag: artist tips

Some careers burn bright and fade fast, while others last decade after decade. Talent, luck, and connections matter, of course, but there’s something quieter that makes the difference: emotional strategy. Knowing how to navigate your feelings, protect your energy, and respond thoughtfully to challenges shapes not just your work, but your entire career. Emotions rarely get framed as professional tools, yet they affect every decision, every interaction, and every reputation you build over time. People who last in their fields notice patterns in their reactions, understand what drains them, and develop…

If you’ve ever walked into a room and felt like the walls themselves were alive, you’ve experienced a little bit of what Rothko aimed for. Born in 1903 in Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), Rothko emigrated to the United States as a child and later became one of the seminal figures of the Abstract Expressionist movement. What made his work stand out was his belief that colour alone, large fields of it, softly edged and hovering on the canvas, could evoke deep human emotion: tragedy, ecstasy, even the sense of the sublime.Rather…

You know the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”? That could not be truer for your studio updates. Without a clear plan, posts, emails, and social media updates become scattered, reactive, and easily forgotten. Your audience might miss your work, your sales announcements, or your creative milestones simply because they never know when to expect them. An editorial calendar is like a roadmap for your studio. It gives structure to your updates, ensuring that every message lands at the right time and with the right impact. It transforms random…

They say your work should speak for itself, but in reality, the words that accompany it often decide who actually listens. The exhibition text, that small paragraph on the wall, the label beside your piece, or the short description on a gallery website, carries far more weight than most artists imagine. It doesn’t just explain your work, it shapes how people approach it. Before a viewer has even looked long enough to feel something, those few lines have already told them how to see. Think about it, two artists might create…

Someone asks, “Where can I see your work?” and your stomach does that little drop. You’ve got the art, sure. You’ve got the passion. But the link? That part’s fuzzy. Maybe it’s buried in your notes app, or worse, still “in progress.” Don’t worry, you’re not the only one quietly avoiding that question. Every artist hits this point, where the studio feels solid, but the online world feels like a maze. Here’s the truth no one really says out loud: a good portfolio isn’t about fancy. It’s about found. It’s about…

Ever scroll through your feed, see an artist you admire with thousands of followers, and think, “That’ll never be me”? But what if that following didn’t appear overnight? What if, bit by bit, step by step, those “fans” were built one morning post, one story, one comment at a time? That’s exactly how many artists go from feeling invisible to having their work noticed, shared, and even loved. The thing is, growing an online audience isn’t magic, it’s patience + consistency. It’s sharing the tiny wins: a sketch that catches someone’s…

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…