It's just the truth your calendar has been telling you all along: your calendar shows your priorities, whether or not you chose them on purpose.

Most art goals die in February. Not because people don't care, but because they're built on the two shakiest foundations there are: motivation, and outcomes. Flip both, and the goal sticks. Here's the version that actually works: rely on discipline instead of motivation, and set activity goals instead of outcome goals. That's the whole post. Everything below is the why and the how.

If you're wondering whether drawing as a hobby is a good fit for you as an adult, here's my honest answer: it might be one of the best ones available to you.

It sounds like a lack of ideas. Sometimes it is. But often, that sentence is covering up a different problem. Maybe you’re afraid of choosing the wrong idea. Maybe your ideas are too large for the time available or require a setup you can’t easily use today. Or maybe you’re waiting to feel certain before you begin. You can collect another hundred ideas and still be unable to choose one.

An art journal can hold painting, drawing, collage, writing, mixed media...or all of them at once, on the same page. Some people fill theirs with words and a little color. Others never write a single word. There are no rules about what goes in, which is exactly why it is the easiest way back into making art after a long time away.

Every December, someone who loves an artist, or really any creative person, goes shopping with the best of intentions and absolutely no idea what to buy. Paint, but which paint? A brush, but which one? A craft kit? That 100-piece set with every color looks like a great deal for the money? You came looking for Christmas gift ideas for artists, or gifts for the creative person in your life, and there are plenty below: the good, the great, and the please don't.

A creative challenge is a defined creative commitment with a beginning, an end, and a payoff for finishing. It might ask you to draw every day for a month, complete one unfinished project, or follow a series of steps that helps you get back to making art. That structure is part of the appeal. A creative challenge can help you build a habit, make progress on something you have avoided, or get past the blank page. The problem is that the challenge itself can become another b

One of the most common topics in my executive coaching practice isn't leadership or communication. It's guilt. Guilt for leaving work on time. Guilt for taking a vacation. Guilt for investing in themselves and their own development instead of squeezing in one more hour of work. Over the years, I've noticed something surprising: that same guilt doesn't stay at work. It follows people home, right into their creative life. If you feel guilty taking an hour for yourself at work,

"I used to make art." Sometimes it's painting. Sometimes quilting, pottery, sewing, knitting, or keeping a sketchbook. The medium changes, but the sentiment doesn't. I've heard that sentence hundreds of times. People think they’ve lost their creativity. I don’t think that’s what’s happened. I think they lost their rhythm. I know, because I did too.

Showing up matters. I’m a big believer in sitting in the seat, lowering your expectations, and being willing to make imperfect art. But I also want my studio time to count.