Dear Artist, In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926) counsels a pen pal to “have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart” and to “live in the question.” These letters were published in 1929. In…
Dear Artist, To work your muses, the first thing you have to do is separate your true muses from your false muses. Your true muses are those that turn you on, interest you, excite you and motivate you to explore…
Dear Artist, In 1868, mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a small wood pulp mill on the banks of the Nokianvirta River near the village of Tampere, in southwestern Finland. By the end of the 19th century, Fredrik and his business…
Dear Artist, Some artists have trouble getting back into their work after a solo show. The desire is there but they can’t proceed. It’s called PSB — Post-Show Blues. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to either eliminate or lessen the…
Dear Artist, Amidst the day-to-day supply and demand of painting and deliveries, solo shows are an opportunity to build something bigger. Think of it as your own personal advancing of the whole history of art — a strengthening occurs, with multiple…
Dear Artist, I’ve come to realize success means a lot of different things to different artists. Some consider simply feeling good about themselves to be the mark of success. Many get the good feeling just by producing a decent watercolour.…
Dear Artist, Photographer Tim Knox started as a design student with an interest in typography and became a photojournalist covering stories for national papers. He moved from England to New York City in 1995 and now shoots for the London Times,…
Dear Artist, Work is not work when work is loved. This thought is affirmed by legions of artists who have no trouble being motivated. Many get themselves started with the expectation of joy. But hardly one of us hasn’t, at…
Dear Artist, Not long ago, while in the middle of a private easel disaster, the phone rang. “Did you know that Tony Robbins recently took up golf?” asked a friend. She was calling from a new-age encounter session somewhere in…
Dear Artist, My friend Bern Will Brown is 86 now, but he’s still going strong. He’s spent the last 44 years in Colville Lake (pop. 100), an isolated outpost way up in Canada’s far north. Born in upstate New York,…