by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 30, 2025 | General Advice for Artists
Let’s be honest. Journaling can sound like one of those self-help habits that only people with color-coded bookshelves and perfect morning routines actually keep up with. But if you’re an artist, creative soul, or professional overthinker (hi!), keeping a creativity...
by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 27, 2025 | Advice for Creatives, General Advice for Artists
Why Discomfort Might Be the Best Studio Assistant You’ve Ever Had There’s a dirty little secret about making good art: it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes wildly, teeth-clenchingly uncomfortable. No matter how many expensive sketchbooks you hoard or how many...
by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 19, 2025 | Advice for Creatives, Art as Meditation, General Advice for Artists
Let’s not beat around the (bamboo) bush: meditation is great. It’s calming, centering, and makes you feel just a little less like a caffeinated squirrel on rollerblades. But if you’ve ever tried sitting still on a cushion with your eyes closed and your brain screaming...
by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 15, 2025 | Advice for Creatives, Art as Meditation, General Advice for Artists
Once upon a time, in a universe not entirely unlike this one, there was an ancient figure named Hermes Trismegistus—part sage, part scribe, part god, part mystery. People say he was the originator of Hermetic wisdom, the bridge between the divine and the human. Some...
by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 12, 2025 | General Advice for Artists
Because Sometimes Just Starting Feels LikeWrestling a Bear Made of Doubt Fear and anxiety are the unofficial co-managers of every creative life. The trick is not banishing them forever (spoiler: you can’t), but learning how to do your weird, beautiful work anyway....
by Douglas Paul Smith | Apr 11, 2025 | Advice for Creatives, General Advice for Artists
TL;DR: How does critique affect art? Oh, let us count the ways. It’s weird, powerful, terrifying, transformative, sometimes annoying, often illuminating, and occasionally complete nonsense. But when handled well, it can turn your art into gold (or at least slightly...
