“We do not always create works of art, but rather, experiments.
It is not our intention to fill museums. We are gathering experience.”
Josef Albers
![How to be a successful artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/How-to-be-a-successful-artist-521325_700x675.png)
How to be a successful artist
How to be a successful artist. I love the title of this blog post.😊 If you've landed here for the first time and are not familiar with my work, you might be wondering what secrets I'm going to tell you that will guarantee career success as an artist. If you've been...
![Nine ways to make the most of studio time as an artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/9-ways-to-make-the-most-of-studio-time-as-an-artist-863481_700x675.png)
Nine ways to make the most of studio time as an artist
How often have you finally got some precious studio time, then found that you frittered it away? Maybe you didn't know where to start... so you just kind of didn't, and then ran out of time. Or you got in there, saw all the half finished projects and different art...
![Ten reasons to love the Painted Postcards online workshop](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/10-reasons-to-love-the-Painted-Postcards-workshop-1534902_1080x675.png)
Ten reasons to love the Painted Postcards online workshop
“I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop. It has the perfect balance of giving a real insight into your process in 'real time' and a very practical and repeatable exercise in creating small works of art. I also think the approach can easily be extended and scaled up, by...
![How to deal with the challenges of being an artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/How-to-deal-with-the-challenges-of-being-an-artist-776152_700x675.png)
How to deal with the challenges of being an artist
I recently wrote a post sharing some things I've found to be essential as an artist. One of those things was something I call a Demon Management System™. {Not an actual trademark, obvs. Maybe it should be?!🤔} When I shared the post on Instagram, I got some questions...
![Ten things you don’t need to be an artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/10-things-you-dont-need-to-be-an-artist-660260_700x675.png)
Ten things you don’t need to be an artist
I recently wrote a post exploring 10 things you need to be an artist, and then had the brainwave that it might also be helpful to talk about some of the things you don't need to be an artist. Because there are an awful lot of 'rules' and unspoken assumptions out there...
![Ten things you need to be an artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/10-things-you-need-to-be-an-artist-819492_700x675.png)
Ten things you need to be an artist
What are the things you need to be an artist? And - much more importantly - what are the things ✨YOU✨ need to be an artist? Today I'm sharing a non exhaustive list of things I've found to be essential on the artist path - and they might not all be what you'd think....
![How to feel confident calling yourself an artist](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/How-to-feel-confident-calling-yourself-an-artist-786265_700x675.png)
How to feel confident calling yourself an artist
So let me ask you the question of the day - do you feel confident calling yourself an artist? If not, you'd probably be shocked to discover how not alone you are in that. After a very unofficial - but very telling - bit of research on Instagram, I discovered that so....
![The Artnotes Collection: Letters from an artist’s life – now in paperback](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/The-Artnotes-Collection-blog-post-764121_700x675.png)
The Artnotes Collection: Letters from an artist’s life – now in paperback
I've been writing Artnotes for 10 years this year. They haven't always looked the way they look now, of course. I tried a few different approaches before I started honing them into the hilarious, wise, erudite missives they are today. {If you're new here, I do very...
![Ten quick tips to improve your art](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/10-quick-tips-to-improve-your-art-757295_700x675.png)
Ten quick tips to improve your art
Want to improve your art this year? Course you do. 😁 Yes, there are lots of obvious ways to do that - take a class, practice a lot, learn a new skill or technique. You know what to do. But sometimes that's a bit vague and abstract, and easy to keep pushing into the...
![3 approaches to filling the creative well](https://taraleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/3-approaches-to-filling-the-creative-well-597027_700x675.png)
3 approaches to filling the creative well
As artists and humans, we all know the importance of filling the creative well in order to stay engaged with our work and sustain our practice. We've all heard the metaphors - put your oxygen mask on first, you can't pour from an empty cup, etc. In fact maybe we've...
Artistic Freedom This Way!
Pop your details in the boxes Artnotes - stories and insights about the artist life to help you find your way, and practical ideas you can take into the studio.
PLUS - latest blog posts, occasional free email series on topics that help you as an artist, and new offerings, direct to your inbox.