I've listened to this audiobook, "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity" by David Lynch, and thought you would enjoy it too. It's totally free and you won't need a credit card if it is your first time accepting an Audible book from a friend. Get it here: http://a.co/8WmQ6Ag After you accept the book, you will be prompted to download the Audible app to start listening. Enjoy!
The Best Life Advice Ever
Beau - Pet Portrait
I began my career over forty years ago creating paintings of dogs. I honestly don't know for sure if I would still be alive had I not had the company and responsibility of caring for the dogs in my life. From the hundreds of dog portraits I have created for people over time, I know my story isn't unique. I have always proudly said, I found this dog on the road, or this one came from a shelter and so on. The knowing and unspoken secret between my dogs and I has always been, I was the rescue.
Please enjoy the little video of Beau. He is gone now, but he was special to me and it was an honor and pleasure to capture a little moment in a painting for Beau's person Warren.
4 Ted Talks Built with Creative Blocks
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
In this talk, artist Phil Hansen tells the unfortunate tale of when he developed a hand tremor that could have kept him from pursuing his dreams, with a surprising amount of humor. After years of feeling limited by his condition, he began embracing it. He started making work entirely made out of squiggles.
At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals -- including embracing failure. "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most," Grant says. "You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones."
Contemplating the Essence of Gravity
I met Elvis and then I met another Elvis. The first time I met an Elvis was when I was in the first grade and The King was in my mother’s office. I saw him in concert a total of three times. The second Elvis I met was a hounddog. I spotted what looked like a glove on the highway between Santa Fe and Taos. I turned the car around and watched in horror as a car passed right over the top of the tiny dog. I stopped, got out of the car, and ran to the little hunk of burning love. He was only about three weeks old, emaciated, and the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was on my way to Aspen for my opening at Mill Street Gallery. The veterinarian in Taos encouraged me to leave the sick puppy with him; he did not expect him to live to the end of the day. After a long discussion the vet gave me medicine for Elvis and told me I was in for heartache. A babydoll bottle from the five and dime and I was on the road. I fed and gave him medicine every two hours. I had an overcoat with me that had been my fathers. There was an oversized inside pocket and the baby Elvis lived right there nestled in a silk scarf next to my heartbeat. At the opening, I was greeting collectors and secretly bottle feeding my struggling companion. Each morning I would pray he was alive when I awoke. On my way back to Santa Fe I consulted with the vet who was astonished Elvis was not only alive, but improving. After a month of appointments and moments of deep concern Elvis began to turn hope into a reality, he was going to make it. For eighteen years and over 100 times, I painted Elvis the Rottweiler/Shepherd. This is one of my favorites. I hope you like it too. Thank you, thank you very much. - Rhett
A Question About Spirituality
13 Creative Resources
Whether you are a professional artist, Sunday painter, or someone who nurtures their creative, soulful spirit, these are resources you may find inspiring, useful, or just simply fun. Click away my friend, click away!
Artwork Archive - This is a great place to curate your art collection. It’s perfect for the collector or an artist. If you decide this service is right for you, use the following code to receive a $10 discount: https://www.artworkarchive.com/?ref=40df23
This is Colossal - Launched in 2010 by writer and curator Christopher Jobson, Colossal is one of the largest visual art, design, and culture blogs on the web. We pride ourselves in celebrating the work of both established and emerging artists across a vast field of creative endeavors, featuring 5,000+ articles on fine art, crafts, design, animation, photography, street art, illustration, and architecture. We also explore the beauty of the natural world at the intersection of art and science.
Over the last seven years we’ve been honored with accolades by The National Endowment for the Arts, TED, and PBS Art21. Colossal won the UTNE Media Award for Arts Coverage in 2013, and was nominated for a Webby.
Cool Hunting - Cool Hunting is an award-winning independent publication that uncovers the latest intersections of design, culture and technology. We are a team of writers and editors whose curiosity fuels an ongoing quest for the discovery of true inspiration. We leverage our access, insights and knowledge not only to find this, but also to share it with you.
Zen Habits - If you’re not taking care of yourself, you may not be your best self. And if you’re not your best self, how can you make your best art? This blog is all about finding peace - zen if you will - so you can remove any blockers to creativity and productivity.
Patreon - In 2013, YouTube musician Jack Conte was looking for a solution to his problem: millions of people loved his videos, but only hundreds of dollars were hitting his bank account. This didn’t add up, so he drafted up an idea (hey, we’re Patreon) and brought it to his college roommate Sam Yam, now co-founder of Patreon. Now it’s 2019, and Patreon is the solution to this same problem for over 100k creators.
Artsy - Artsy features the world’s leading galleries, museum collections, foundations, artist estates, art fairs, and benefit auctions, all in one place. Our growing database of 1,000,000 works of art, architecture, and design by 100,000 artists spans historical, modern, and contemporary works, and includes the largest online database of contemporary art. Artsy is used by art lovers, museum-goers, patrons, collectors, students, and educators to discover, learn about, and collect art.
1x - 16,000 Curated Artists. Handpicked over the past decade in our pursuit of the sublime.
Sonima - Sonima is a wellness site covering meditation, yoga tutorials, home workouts, healthy recipe ideas, personal growth, and balanced living.
Artfinder - The art marketplace. Buy wall art, original paintings, sculptures, limited edition prints and photography directly from independent artists.
Saatchi Art - Saatchi Art is an online art gallery and artist network. Saatchi Art is based in Los Angeles, California. It is the largest gallery and platform for artists in the world.
Hyperallergic - Sensitive to Art and Its Discontents. Hyperallergic is a forum for playful, serious, and radical perspectives on art and culture in the world today. Created by husband-and-husband team, Veken Gueyikian and Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic officially launched on October 14, 2009. It combines the best of art blog and magazine culture by focusing on publishing quality and engaging writing and images from informed and provocative perspectives.
Mind Body Green - mindbodygreen is a lifestyle media brand dedicated to inspiring you to live your best life - mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and environmentally.
Artists Inspire Artists - Inspiration is a powerful thing. Sometimes, all it takes is a picture, a message, or a song to change a life. And the Artists Inspire Artists blog is founded on the idea that the greatest forms of creativity are often sparked by sharing in the creativity of others. The goal of this blog is to build a vast community of artists with a passion for inspiring others through their work. We encourage you to take a look around, ignite your vision, and then submit your art for real-world critique. Here, the combined talents of many can be found in one place, and artists of every kind come together with the goal of finding and giving inspiration.
Let us know how you enjoyed these resources in the comments below! Thank you and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
Wrapping Up a Year
What is working for us? What isn’t working for us? Do we have the wisdom and courage to evolve healthily?
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