I am a school teacher. Sixth grade. Over twenty years now. And I always give my students the same motto: Failure is not an option. It is a step. I stole that little nugget of advice from Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson. And it is an astounding talking point to have in class. But… We all… Continue reading Be the Best at Failing
Don’t Torture Yourself
There is a myth about the tortured artists. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Artists throws themselves into alcohol or drugs or sex, and in such a frenzied state, the work produced is sheer brilliance. I say this is pure BS. And I have empirical evidence to back me up. A study of famous artists (like Monet,… Continue reading Don’t Torture Yourself
Takes Risks with Your Art
I shave with a straight razor. At first, I thought it was manly and cool — I imagined some amorphous audience watching and admiring my efforts. But there was never anyone there. The cool squad never drove up to give me my prize. Now it serves as a meditative space. Shaving is a skilled routine,… Continue reading Takes Risks with Your Art
Shift Your Wishes
I often dream of being a successful writer. But often I ignore the writer part and focus on the successful part. What is it about success that draws us all in? It certainly isn’t the celebrity, at least for me. I’m notoriously shy. If you sit down to talk with me, within moments, I will… Continue reading Shift Your Wishes
Don’t Overseason Your Art
Continuing along the lines of cooking as a metaphor to making art, it’s important not to clutter your creativity with a proliferation of details, platitudes and those little darlings you think you can’t live without. Let me step deeply into this metaphor by talking about an Alton Brown recipe I recently tried (Yes, I’m one… Continue reading Don’t Overseason Your Art
A Recipe for the Creative Process
Below is a metaphorical recipe for going from initial idea to finished concept (any similarity to a real cooking recipe is purely coincidental). My apologies to those non-carnivores out there. Imagine a nice portobello mushroom steak and maybe cauliflower mash. I’m just going with I know how to cook. Tim
Welcome to the Mental Kitchen
Creating art is a lot like cooking. Heck, whipping together tasty morsels is an art unto itself (just watch any show on the Cooking Channel). What initially gave me the connection between what goes on in the kitchen and what happens in an artist’s mind came from reading a book. Specifically Daily Rituals by Mason… Continue reading Welcome to the Mental Kitchen
