“They just fit me like a glove,” the now experienced filmmaker recalled of his early exposure to acting and directing. “My first show was an Easter play depicting the last week of Jesus’ life before going to the cross. Not only was I acting in the play, but they also asked me...
“I remember walking into an art gallery in Laguna and staring at the William Wendt and Edgar Payne paintings. I was in total awe. As a ‘want-to-be artist,’ I longed to be able to paint like that,” Toni Danchik recalled.
Though years ago, Toni still finds that the admiration of...
As an artist, what does success look like to you?
I've never met an artist who doesn't want to be successful, but you and I know that success can be defined in many ways. Here's a few way artists define success...
Success is...
As an artist, I have two really important questions for you . . .
Who cares for your heart? And who cares for your art?
Really? Who helps cultivate, nurture, and tend your most important assets?
In reading one of my favorite spiritual authors this morning, Dallas Willard writes in Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice . . .
The...
I have two questions for you today.
And I will keep it very simple...
The first is, "Why are you an artist?"
How you answer this question will say a lot about you.
Your identity. Your sense of vocation and calling. Your purpose. The aim and focus of your life.
The second question, for many of you, is a much more dangerous question.
...
Do you feel stuck, blocked, and frustrated by your lack of artistic output?
If so, you're not alone.
On the other hand, if you're riding a wave of great creative flow, living in the optimal experience of hitting your artistic goals, and producing art on a...
I love and long for being in a creative flow.
On a good day of writing, I can get in a zone for hours immersed in my work, completely enjoying what is before me. It's a lovely state where distractions are distant and time disappears.
When I am in a creative flow, it is like scuba diving where I pop on my mask, zip up my wetsuit,...
As an artist, is fear consuming all your spiritual, emotional and creative energy? Does fear have you sidelined instead of seeking everything your heart desires for creating your art with meaning and purpose? Maybe it's not outright fear you struggle with as an artist, but it's the familiar themes of worry, anxiety, and...
As you can imagine, I know a lot more about organic lemons and avocados than I do about running a vineyard. But as I was recently reminded, a vineyard can teach us a lot about the important practices of abiding, rest, and renewal.
For the first time in a long while, my wife Krista and I took off for a few days of vacation in the vineyards of...
I feel sorry for Tom Clark's poor neighbors. At this month's Gathering, I'm sure we broke at least ten sound ordinances for the city of San Juan Capistrano. Everyone was just LOUD! Meeting. Greeting. Laughing. Sharing. A crowd of fifty artists is going to be anything, but a quiet, solemn affair.
At the end of the evening, when our cluster of...