Artist Intelligence
First-person posts from artists, organizers, microbusinesses & creators of all types. Our archive of more than 1200+ posts offers inspiration and insight into how to make creative life work.
The Art of Listening and Not Knowing
Instead of interpreting everything in order to feel like I have a grasp on what is going on, I am actively sitting back and looking…Burning Questions with Dahlak Brathwaite
“It’s great to have a vision—but I’ve learned and am learning how to limit how much I impose my vision upon any creative process. I’m…
Latest Posts
All our posts, in reverse chronological order.
Tokyo Canvas Takedown: T-Shirt Design Theft and How I Fought Back
“Holy shit, they stole your art!” I discovered that one-line message when I opened Facebook a few weeks ago. A friend sent it, along with a screenshot of an ad that had randomly appeared in her feed.
Why I Love This Monthly Conceptual Art Class at the Art Students League of New York
For the first time in 150 years, art students don’t…
Hello Internet: Meet the Creator Who Turned His Furry Friends into a Yuletide Hit
Hello Internet, My friend Hudson recently asked me to sing…
Hello Internet: Dave Hickey Says It’s OK To Deface Ralphs, Damian Tries Not To Gatekeep Ed Ruscha
Manhattan, 8 a.m. I’m sitting at Margon’s on 46th street…
Music
The people who make the music.
Clink’s Medical Marijuana Links
Clink put together a list of her favorite links on the subject for new patients and curious readers. Here is what she shared with me.
Happy Birthday to Us, Whoo
I’ll be honest, the simple act of listing what we’ve accomplished makes me feel pretty great and makes me excited to contemplate what we’ll achieve in the coming year and years beyond that. Because, to continue being honest, I feel a palpable feeling of overwhelm.
Feature: Music Makers
The people who make the music.
Pyragraph TV
Moving pictures and experiments in streaming.
Livestream Fundraiser Featuring The Ordinary Things
ABQ band The Ordinary Things livestreamed a show featuring its album “Stories” in its entirety, and hopes to raise funds for the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID Relief Fund. If you enjoy their music please consider donating here.
Pyragraph LIVE from the Albuquerque Press Club: Nancy Zastudil
We get the scoop from Nancy on upcoming exhibits, the…
Democratic AF Pilot Episode Featuring Billy McCall
Host Peri Pakroo talks with Billy McCall about his new…
Pyragraph LIVE from the Albuquerque Press Club: Jared Putnam
We chat with Jared Putnam about touring Kazakhstan and other…
Feature: Brandish
Artists and their favorite tools.
Music & Creativity
Dear Little Bobby: Newbie Musician, and Unwillingly Locked and Loaded
I’m wondering, what is the best way to become a better piano player?
Band of One
At some point my gender struggle became more important than being a musician. I needed to break up the band—this…
I Quit My Day Job a Year Ago
In one year’s time, I’d say I’m not as rosey-eyed.
A Cute and Vulgar Happy Gland Band Ode to Columbus Day
When I read an excellent book by Inga Muscio, I knew a cute and vulgar song had to be written—just…
Free Resource
Contracts and Agreements 101
The more that you are actively working in your field — whether that means writing for magazines, playing music at clubs, hosting gallery events or building furniture for a hotel — the more you’ll find yourself needing to execute contracts…
Design
PyraGuide: Supercharge Your Vote!
It goes without saying there’s a lot riding on the November 2020 election and change isn’t gonna happen on its own. We are going to have to hit this one hard, folks! Here are some tips and resources for getting…
Music
An Introverted Artist’s Open Letter to Social Media
Ninety percent of my life is not interesting to look at. You hear that, social media?
Film/Stage
What’s Your Deal, Alejandro Montoya?
“I took it seriously and went to study film production. Now I am here, doing what I went to school for, and trying to get our films out there.”
How To Make a GoPro Music Video
The GoPros came with a slew of extra mounts. They were super easy to use, especially the Hero 4 which has an LCD touchscreen vs. the Hero 3 which does not.
Why You Shouldn’t Make a 20-Minute Film
A weaker 10-minute film is likely to get selected over a 20-minute film. It’s unfortunate that this is the case, but in festival lineups it’s often true.
How These 10 Books Are Like a Shot of Tequila for 2017
Some of these tomes will open you like a window and let it all hang out. Others will flash some skin. Others will make you weepy, with a whopping hangover after. And, some, I can promise, you just might hate.
The Space You Make for Your Artistry
Guest Blogger Caitlin FitzGerald shares: “I felt I had complete permission to do what I needed to do as an actor, to explore and create and get weird.”
How Pinterest Lets This Mom Still Make Films
Finding balance between your creative process and other life responsibilities is useful to all artists, but for mothers in particular I think finding ways to not give up on your creative work is essential to countering the narrative that says you have to choose between your artist life and your mom life.
Tokyo Canvas Takedown: T-Shirt Design Theft and How I Fought Back
“Holy shit, they stole your art!” I discovered that one-line message when I opened Facebook a few weeks ago. A friend sent it, along with a screenshot of an ad that had randomly appeared in her feed.
For the Spoilsports, Downbeats and Pessimists
I sometimes find myself still pandering to my inner saboteur,…
Conceptual Play: Artist Residency in Motherhood
The intention of my self-imposed residency is to reframe motherhood…
Miami is My Vice: Being an Artist in Magic City
Opportunity knocks all over, in part because of our enormous…
Tokyo Canvas Takedown: T-Shirt Design Theft and How I Fought Back
“Holy shit, they stole your art!” I discovered that one-line message when I opened Facebook a few weeks ago. A friend sent it, along with a screenshot of an ad that had randomly appeared in her feed.
Monogamy: Not Suitable For Work
These days, I run a family business in the dental…
Burning Questions for Christina Kennedy
Christina shares how she uses Instagram as a creative outlet…
Dear Little Bobby: Compassion for Fascists?
I get very upset thinking about our president and how…
Hello Internet: Meet the Creator Who Turned His Furry Friends into a Yuletide Hit
Hello Internet, My friend Hudson recently asked me to sing the lyrics to his new song Kitty Cat Christmas over some music. It’s not unusual he’d write a song about…
As Live as Possible
Some of my favorite albums are born in noisy rooms,…
Sam Miller: Taking it to the Next Level
The assertively patient Miller is from the school of thought…
Dear Little Bobby: Being a Loving, Present, Creative Parent is Hard
I really love my kids and my husband. But I…
Hello Internet: Meet the Creator Who Turned His Furry Friends into a Yuletide Hit
Hello Internet, My friend Hudson recently asked me to sing the lyrics to his new song Kitty Cat Christmas over some music. It’s not unusual he’d write a song about…
So You Want to Be a Film Editor?
Guest Blogger Alex O’Flinn, recipient of the 2014 Sally Menke…
Networking is Coming: The Seven Kingdoms of Connection-Building For Creative Professionals
Networking sounds business-y AF, and therefore fundamentally inapplicable to those…
Music Video Showcase: “Chemical” by Jack Garratt
As a director who works with modest budgets, I love…
My Cheap-Ass Freelance Life
I’m a certified (certifiable?) cheapskate when it comes to my business as a freelance writer in journalism and creative writing. Freelancing has been a lean-times/fat-times endeavor over the years, and it’s the ghost of the lean times that still shapes my financial habits.
Dear Little Bobby: Feeling Pessimistic in the USA
How about acting out the fantasies that you only dreamed…
I’m a Good Writer, But…
As much as you may have heard this before, it…
Keep Your Pencils Sharp — Lessons from My Grandfather, Part 1
He used his #2 pencils to record, in tiny perfect…
Why I Love This Monthly Conceptual Art Class at the Art Students League of New York
For the first time in 150 years, art students don’t have to take their physical bodies to 57th Street in Manhattan — they can learn via Zoom.
Rock Dad
Not only did I think rock and roll foolish and…
How These 10 Books Are Like a Shot of Tequila for 2017
Some of these tomes will open you like a window…
Pyragraph LIVE from the Press Club: Ryan Leonski and Shandiin Woodward
We chat with game developers Ryan Leonski and Shandiin Woodward…
Tokyo Canvas Takedown: T-Shirt Design Theft and How I Fought Back
“Holy shit, they stole your art!” I discovered that one-line message when I opened Facebook a few weeks ago. A friend sent it, along with a screenshot of an ad that had randomly appeared in her feed.
5 Ways to Keep Your Music Business Functioning When You Are Not
My main medium is music. And guess what wouldn’t come…
Smart Art
When I started my first business I didn’t know a…
Join Us to Supercharge Your Vote: A Livestream Event!
We’ve been living through such extreme weirdness that otherwise easy…