Category: Creativity
-
Art about art
On a recent visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario, I came across J.L. Gérôme’s “The Antique Pottery Painter,” which was accompanied by this statement: Artists often have the ability to make us believe their paintings are real. Gérôme mastered and exploited this quality, using the incredibly smooth surface we see here to challenge our…
-
What would a doctor do?
Doctors don’t look for clients. They look for patients. A doctor helps a patient diagnose their health condition, and puts a plan together for the patient to recover and heal. A good doctor doesn’t need to pitch you to be their patient. In fact, if you find a doctor being overly pushy, it’s a signal…
-
It’s easier to make art, harder to make a living off it
“It’s easier than ever to make music, and harder than ever to make a living from it,” Luc Rinaldi writes. This statement applies well to writing. Perhaps it’s a matter of expectation: too many people expect to make a living from art. Maybe it’s because we are exposed to a lot of artists who have…
-
Hell’s Kitchen
A year ago, my partner and I watched a musical called Hell’s Kitchen. It was created by Alicia Keys, with a storyline loosely based on her life and anchored by her songs. The musical made a really strong impression on me. Even though I was already familiar with her music, the characters, the screenplay, and…
-
When a detour is the best route
You are on a road trip. The fastest path to your destination has no fuel stations, and your car is running low. An alternate path has several fuel stations, and it requires a detour—taking you an extra hour or two. Which path will you take? Sometimes, it’s most useful to go directly towards your goal.…
-
Perpetual beginner
This month, Grant Snider is writing one Haiku and making a drawing with it every day. He posts them at his website. At his Substack, he dives into the creative process, and shares the stories behind the scenes. “Maybe when it comes to art, I’m not a master. I’m a perpetual beginner,” he writes. This…