by David Dowd | Feb 9, 2022 | Artists, Creativity, Music, Writing, Your Creative Journey
Why do we create? Why do we aspire to become more creative? How we approach these questions will determine the success of our creative endeavor. By reflecting upon these questions, we will be more certain that our project has value. It doesn’t matter whether you want...
by David Dowd | Feb 2, 2022 | Artists, Creativity, Film, Photography, Writing, Your Creative Journey
There are some artists who can work anywhere – on the subway, in a coffee shop, at a nearby strip mall. I commend their flexibility. But I am not one of them. A sense of place is very important to me. I need a safe space in which to create, far from the distractions...
by David Dowd | Jan 26, 2022 | Artists, Creativity, Film, Photography, Writing, Your Creative Journey
Over the past few weeks, I have invited you to develop a rich environment of creative conversation. I have asked you to first name the work you will be undertaking this year. I have then encouraged you to identify an artistic hero for your venture – an object of art...
by David Dowd | Jan 19, 2022 | Artists, Creativity, Film, Music, Photography, Writing, Your Creative Journey
You may wonder why I am asking you to search out both an artistic hero and an ideal audience for the work that you will be doing over the earth’s next twelve-month spin around the sun. Neither one of them are “real” in any sense of the word. With the artistic hero,...
by David Dowd | Jan 12, 2022 | Artists, Creativity, Writing, Your Creative Journey
Last week I invited you to find an artistic hero within your creative field. Select one work of theirs that you want to engage with over the next twelve months. I framed this aspiration as a conversation between artists, using the pen or the paint to communicate. I...
by David Dowd | Jan 4, 2022 | Architecture, Artists, Creativity, Photography, Writing, Your Creative Journey
Last week I asked you to identify a creative work within your medium that you can really idolize. Think about it as entering into a love affair! If you are an emerging architect, then search out a building that you particularly admire. If you are a novelist, then find...
by David Dowd | Dec 28, 2021 | Artists, Creativity, Writing, Your Creative Journey
The new year is before us. Let’s find out what inspires us, on a deep and meaningful level. Find your own artistic obsession this week. Latch onto another work within your artistic medium that you admire. If you are laying out a new garden design, then search out a...
by David Dowd | Dec 23, 2021 | Artists, Creativity, Writing
I want to share this poem with you today. It is written by the talented poet Naomi Shihab Nye. I hope that it inspires you this week, as you cultivate a sense of purpose for your creative endeavor in the coming year. ALWAYS BRING A PENCIL There will not be a test. It...
by David Dowd | Dec 22, 2021 | Artists, Creativity, Music
These lyrics crept up on me last night, from the Beatles’ “Blackbird”: Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these sunken...
by David Dowd | Dec 21, 2021 | Artists, Creativity, Music, Writing, Your Creative Journey
Happy Solstice! This is the day when the sun retreats into the dark of night, and we look forward to its rebirth. We shall circle once more around the sun over the next twelve months. Let’s take this opportunity to articulate our artistic goals for the coming year....
Solitude and the ArtistBut if you sit still for long enough, then something strange begins to emerge from this engagement with the mind. What was once myriad thoughts can be observed to encompass only maybe eight to ten notions that keep cycling through your awareness. read more...
What’s Your Obsession?But we desperately need new models, new and esteemed texts need to be uncovered that take us away from the terrain of war. There should be texts that speak to our moment – where our delicate equilibrium of climate is being upended daily. read more...
At the Top of the Creative MountainYour expectations shape your reality. I have had the opportunity of connecting with every one of you over the past year in one form or another, whether in person or online. I believe in your potential. Spend a few moments with yourself in a quiet space and remind yourself of why you began this project in the first place. Remember how exciting it was when you first captured its essence in your mind’s eye. read more...
Taking Art OutsideOver the years, I have established a relationship with this patch of land. I have traversed the terrain well enough to easily recall each of its inclines and slopes. I use this landscape in my meditation most every morning. read more...
Books for the Dog Days of SummerI have put together a short list of books that have been in my orbit over the past couple of months. These books have spoken to me – and you could do far worse than to pick up one of these books to read while the dog days of summer drag along, when disappearing into a different space altogether is essential to preserving your sanity. read more...
The Crow’s FeatherSo, I decided to give into their calls this morning, to reckon with what they were trying to tell me. Why were they hovering about my land – and such a specific patch of it? read more...
Intersection of Art and YogaHave the courage to stay in the room, no matter how hot it might feel. That discomfort means that you are getting at something meaningful and powerful. Let the sweat gather on your brow. read more...
The Conversation Between Two ArtistsYou may have lost the thread of this conversation over the past few months. It is time to refresh the acquaintance. You should dive a little more deeply into the dialogue, as you now have amassed considerable hours devoted to your work. How does the creative path that you have been walking down respond to aspects of the other artist’s work? read more...
Artistic ZenithJust take a moment to relax into the reality that your artistic project is seeing the light of day. You have worked hard. All the various strands of thought will coalesce, for you have already established a track record for yourself. Do something today to congratulate yourself. read more...
The Subconscious KnocksThe subconscious will attempt to claim a place at the table of our creation, clamoring for our attention. While its presence may be insightful, it can also be challenging to integrate those subconscious stirrings into our work. read more...