What’s the one single trait that all great artists share? Curiosity. Great artists take the time to learn their art history. They know that contemporary art does not live in a bubble and they...
If only life were easier… if only… How often do you stress out about what you don’t have? Oh, if only I had more money, if only I had more art sales, if only I had more time to make art, to...
“But Crista,” they ask, “How can I make a living from my art?” “I want to be wealthy! I want to live on a beach and be dripping in jewels! And I want my art to pay for it!” Then I reply with...
It’s not about whether you succeed or fail as an artist. It’s about the kind of person you become as you do the work. Does it make you feel more authentic? Are you coming from a place of integrity? Do...
What do artists do? Artist Grayson Perry recently spoke about a group of schoolchildren who were asked that question by a museum curator. One little girl offered, “Artists are people who sit at...
In business school, they talk about The 6 Stages of Entrepreneurship. But in art school, they don’t even use the word entrepreneur. They should. Artists are entrepreneurs. That’s the truth. And...
Beginning Photography was the first art class I ever took in college. I was terrified, and rightly so. My teacher was a graduate student, a photographer who presumed we all knew our way around a...
I was 17 years old and had never met a blind man before. Every day, he sat at the counter of the diner where I poured coffee. The first time we met, he pulled out paper and colored pencils and...
When I was invited to spend five days in France with British art students, I didn’t know what to expect. Most of us were strangers. The schedule was packed. The journey was arduous. The conditions...
I was on my bicycle, whizzing down a hill under a dry wash, when something caught my eye. A little boy was drawing with chalk on the concrete wall. My camera was at home with a dead battery....
