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.
7 Tips for Making Money On Tour
Young bands don’t understand that promoters can only do so much when nobody knows who the band is, or that…Modernize Your Sound & Mindset with Music Producer Nick Phelps
“A lot of people don’t understand that you can’t just pull out an old Casio keyboard and start making a…How to Draw a Nose
If you are an artist (or human really), you understand that a large portion of your time and your brain…
Latest Posts
All our posts, in reverse chronological order.
Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
Women’s Sports Don’t Need Saving
Anti-trans groups who claim they want to save women’s sports…
Tokyo Canvas Takedown: T-Shirt Design Theft and How I Fought Back
“Holy shit, they stole your art!” I discovered that one-line…
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…
Music
The people who make the music.
Dear Rich: Music in Public Domain Films, and Songwriting Splits
This can be confusing. For example, copyright for the 1961 public domain film One-Eyed Jacks was not renewed, but the film’s score was renewed in 1989.
Late-Night Tacos: A Musician’s Love Story
By the time I’m done playing, packing up, and paying the bar bill, I’m most likely hungry/hangry and any decent restaurant is closed. Enter Taco Cabana.
Feature: Music Makers
The people who make the music.
Pyragraph TV
Moving pictures and experiments in streaming.
Pyragraph LIVE from the Albuquerque Press Club: Mike Smith
Award-winning essayist Mike Smith also runs a podcast called City on the Edge; writes about music for various publications; and is an excellent dancer. We chat with Mike about the world of literary journalism, podcasting, and exploring forgotten places in New Mexico.
Pyragraph LIVE from the Albuquerque Press Club: Sam Miller
We chat with Sam about living in NYC versus Seattle…
No More Excuses
Being an artist means putting yourself out there. The deeper…
Support Arts Hub’s Artist Relief Fund
Hey arts-loving friends! Albuquerque’s Arts Hub is raising funds for…
Feature: Brandish
Artists and their favorite tools.
Music & Creativity
Dear Little Bobby: Demoralized Musician, and Politico-Marital Dischord
I ask myself (and you, Little Bobby), why the crap am I doing this? What am I doing with my…
Dear Little Bobby: Mother Nature’s Son, and Lukewarm in Cleveland
We also know that for some people, if they had the choice, they would choose a do-over on their entire…
Record It Yourself!
Somewhere along the line I decided to play solo, do my own recordings, and make most of my own music…
Want to Support the Arts? Start a Nonprofit!
We artists and writers can’t afford to passively watch all the things we care about burn to the ground. Rather,…
Free Resource
Choosing Board Members to Maximize Your Nonprofit’s Effectiveness
The very best prospects for your nonprofit’s board will be people who share a passion for, and commitment to, the nonprofit’s mission. No matter what name recognition or professional credentials particular people may have to offer, they will not be…
Design
How to Build a New Dishware Collection, Part II
Among beer aficionados and some barkeeps, there is much debate about glassware. I am not a picky man, but given the choice of glass, I’ll take a tulip.
Music
Tour Journal, Part 1: I’m Worn Out, But I’m Touring Again, Anyway
We haven’t been out west in four years. We have no presence there, no local band connections, no nothing. Why are we doing this? I’m too old for this.
Film/Stage
I Learned Everything I Need To Know About Producing From Craigslist
Jack Dagger taught me everything I know about knife throwing but most importantly, his philosophy on building a marketable act: Entertain the people.
Independent Does Not Mean Alone
The Athena Film Festival was heartening for Seed&Spark founder Emily Best, who was, for once, surrounded by an ocean of female filmmakers.
The Boy Who Ran Away to the Circus, And Found His Life Again
Taking people away from their daily troubles and stresses fills my heart. Now a professional acrobat and aerialist, I wonder, is this a dream?
Dear Little Bobby: Depressed About Politics
I want to work on making things better, by voting, by talking about this stuff online and in person, by recognizing my white male privilege and not abusing it, by being a vegetarian, because “human privilege” exists too (and I know that the way we treat animals reflects how we treat each other).
How to Feel Great Before, During and After an Audition
The couple hours before the audition are spent figuring out secrets the character has. The secrets are my favorite part.
Don’t Be Despised! Film Crew Dos and Don’ts
Being on set can be as cliquey as a high-school-teen-TV-drama. With military-style stratification and classism to boot. Did I mention it’s easy to be fired?
Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
The Career of Being Myself
Guest Blogger Meredith Graves shares: “I swim, because I would…
Fear is the Dark Passenger of Art
In so many ways, art and fear are a concoction…
How I Quit My Day Job to Be an Artist: Part 4
I couldn’t believe it — now pushing two years…
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.
26 Things You Need to Take With You to the Craft Fair
Although it’s a long list, it can be just a…
Dear Little Bobby: Berned Out On Politics
Got questions for Little Bobby? Send them to dearlittlebobby@pyragraph.com. Dear Little Bobby,…
Working When You're Broken
Working when you’re broken is usually the best way to…
Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
No Soliciting: From Fan to Foe
Consider that each humble request you send out to your…
What’s Your Deal, The Khans?
“We are the Khans, performing Maqam music, aka “world” music,…
Quit Picking on Spotify
Is it a perfect service? No! Is this a black…
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…
1,000 Posts and I’m Crying About David Bowie
I was happily writing this post sometime around midnight on…
The 5 Essential Books You Need to Write Your Essay or Solo Show
The books on this list are the ones I have…
Top 5 Questions People Ask Me as a Contortionist
As a performer and contortionist, I get asked many questions…
Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
Bedknobs, Broomsticks and My Dad: A Lesson in Storytelling
My dad wasn’t just good at playing. He was an…
Play to Your Strengths with a Side Job
How do I manage to scrape by in New York…
The Power of Writing Groups
“What’s one thing you’d really like to accomplish?” she asked…
Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
Thanks, Self, for Taking Me to SUNY Purchase
How heavy I felt when one of my professors noted…
Networking is Coming: The Seven Kingdoms of Connection-Building For Creative Professionals
Networking sounds business-y AF, and therefore fundamentally inapplicable to those…
Self-Employed Happy Hour: Eric Griego
Eric and Peri talk about moving past grief and blamestorming…
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.
Self-Employed Happy Hour Podcast: Matie Fricker and Molly Adler of Self-Serve Toys and Pornotopia, and Keif Henley of The Guild Cinema
Sex shop talk! Self-Serve Toys/Sexuality Resource Center founders Molly Adler…
Dear Little Bobby: Tired in Tucson
We all know about the triumvirate of “sex, drugs and…
Four Hurdles of a Professional Photographer
Photography, by definition, requires gear. Certain types of photography, such…