Dear Artist, Tim Jenison is a lifelong inventor from San Antonio, Texas. These days he manages a company that makes live and post-production video imaging software for computers. Tim’s a smart guy and ever curious — busy building things when…
Dear Artist, I’ve always noticed that master creators have a seemingly easy ability to think on their feet. They look at their work in progress and amend it in what appears to be a natural and intuitive way. It’s easy…
Dear Artist, In his 1964 book, Religions, Values and Peak Experiences, psychologist Abraham Maslow broadened the definition and understanding of ecstasy. Instead of crediting solely the supernatural for our human moments of inspiration and interconnectedness, Maslow believed that the essential experience…
Dear Artist, The English poet William Wordsworth had a concept that he called “Spots of Time.” These are small, memorable events that occur mainly outdoors and in touch with nature. According to Wordsworth, these spots have lasting quality and are…
Dear Artist, Due to a serendipitous detour en route to New York, I’m laptopping you from the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California. Twenty thousand teenagers — mostly girls clutching their pass and iphone — congregate for a chance to meet,…
Dear Artist, Back in mediaeval times, I was conducting a workshop and pontificating about design. A man put his hand up and said, “When you use the word ‘design,’ I have no idea what you’re talking about. What are you…
Dear Artist, I’m laptopping you from our family home in Crescent Beach, B.C. where we’ve spent a magic spring under the watchful eye of a resident crow. Dmitry caws in the branches of a nearby dogwood until a nugget of…
Dear Artist, Artists may be more vulnerable to the slings and arrows than most people. Even the egocentric and bubbly among us can be sensitive and touchy. Personal failings, as well as monetary and relationship problems, lie heavily on us,…
Dear Artist, In a recent commencement address at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield Iowa, comedian Jim Carrey describes the moment he gave a name to his life’s calling. “The purpose of my life had always been to free people…
