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.
5 Tips on Writing Satirical Pieces
Although I’ve been making fun of things since I learned how to talk, writing satire is a difficult process. Here…COUNTDOWN TO MEMORY #16: Creative Juice
My brain is at its peak creative-juices-flowing-in-my-noggin time first thing. So, I start with tasks benefiting most from this level…Rejection on the Rocks
I know as a writer, I regard the fruits of my labor as children. There is little as painful as…
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.
7 Productive Things You Can Do During Long Drives on Tour to Stave Off the Madness
Luckily for you, I’ve compiled a few recommendations, culled from both personal experience and the experience of friends.
Free Spirit or Burned Out? Maintaining Creative Health
It is that creative energy that makes us who we are and losing it can be devastating, often resulting in anxiety and depression.
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.
THE CANCELED SHOWS: TPC, Alli Wodar, Amanda LaForest on Exotica Music & Tiki
Eva Avenue plays music by musicians who had shows canceled…
Pyragraph LIVE from the Albuquerque Press Club: Sam Miller
We chat with Sam about living in NYC versus Seattle…
Eva Shares More Songs on ‘The Canceled Shows’ on Pyragraph TV
Eva Avenue shares more songs from bands who’ve had to…
Feature: Brandish
Artists and their favorite tools.
Music & Creativity
PR Basics I’ve Learned from Smitten Kitchen
I love using this successful blog as a model for my own online musical marketing promotional adventure.
Lessons From the Road: Zen and the Art of Pumping Gas
Just stand here. Stand here. Be still. Pump gas.
As Live as Possible
Some of my favorite albums are born in noisy rooms, with hard-soled shoes on wooden floors, and feel like the…
My Geeky Analog Checklist
It shows me, in a series of clean black and red lines, what I’m spending my time on. It challenges…
Free Resource
There’s No ‘Right’ way to be Self-Employed, Just Tradeoffs
Most people intuitively recognize that there are some real differences between being a freelancer and running a larger business operation.
Design
Tips for Craft Fair Sellers
Scope out the fair beforehand to see if your items would fit in there, and to see if the event itself is well attended. And where exactly is it? Is it easily accessible to the public and well marketed? You…
Music
1,000 Posts and I’m Crying About David Bowie
I was happily writing this post sometime around midnight on Sunday and in striking range of finishing it off. I took a little break and got on Facebook. Big mistake (as usual). I saw David Bowie had died.
Film/Stage
The Grand Tradition of Berlin Cinemas
In Berlin, going to the movies can take you back to when the German soul was explored in film, and the venue was just as important as the film being showed.
Self-Empoyed Happy Hour Podcast: Keshet Ideas and Innovation Center, and The Loan Fund
We talked with folks from arts incubator KIIC and microlender The Loan Fund about the resources they offer to creatives of all kinds—not just dancers.
How to Create an Intimate Moment With Only One Actor on Stage
Set and lighting tricks can help create a sense of intimacy, but only if the intimacy is already present in the writing. It has to be in the words.
When Vulnerability Defines the Filmmaking Process
Director Caroline Von Kuhn writes passionately about how vulnerability and asking questions in the filmmaking process is the key to crystal clear creation.
Dear Rich: What Should My Cease and Desist Letter Say?
I found a website that uses my photograph at the top of their main page and their “About” page, without permission or credit. I registered the image with the Copyright Office long ago. What language should I use when I first email the firm?
5 Ways to Keep Your Music Business Functioning When You Are Not
My main medium is music. And guess what wouldn’t come out of me? Yup, music.
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.
COUNTDOWN TO MEMORY #8: The Unforeseen and Unplanned
I want to share three things that at some point…
How Keeping My Day Job as a Creative Keeps Me Creating
I work part time as a server at a hotel…
The Question: I Am An Artist #12
“So, what kind of art do you make?” Edie Everette…
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.
How to Talk to a Crowd: Public Speaking Tips
The most important detail for you to be clear about…
What Does It Mean When Someone Says, ‘Your Work Reminds Me Of…’
Inevitably someone is going to compare your work to someone…
When and How Often to Take a Chill Pill
If I look tired, I probably am, and therefore I…
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.
What Artists Brandish: Hard Drives and Running Shoes
While we post a new photo every week on social…
Five Fantastic Songs With No Lyrics
Singing the words to our favorite song is a way…
Dear Little Bobby: Filmmaker Who Wants to Share My Story, and Animal Lover Who Wants to Love Makeup
My research also helped me discover many brands of cosmetics…
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…
God Is The Adrenal Gland
If you’re not scared at all you should probably be…
Dear Little Bobby: Take this Job, and Underwear, ‘Nuff to Share
To make art full time, and for that to be…
Burning Questions for Lars Eidinger, One of the Truest Actors in the World
I can say without hesitation, Lars Eidinger is the best,…
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.
Trying to Follow My Own Career Advice, Part 2
If I were one of my own small business clients,…
How to Be a Resilient Artist
As creative people we can build up our resilience to…
5 Things You Need to Know About Creatives
We have ONE job. And that ONE job is 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.
The Career of Being Myself
Guest Blogger Meredith Graves shares: “I swim, because I would…
Dear Little Bobby: Wanting to Bang on a Drum, and Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha
Practice a lot and make it fun. If it seems…
Trump, the HR Department and a New Hope for the Inexperienced
Now, because of one man, there is hope for me…
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.
One Less Vacant Storefront
I had been thinking about opening a gallery in my…
Dear Rich: I Never Got Paid for My Photo. Can I Sue?
My husband’s photo was chosen by a huge non-profit for…
Specialty Spam: Guest Blog Requests
It’s really kind of fascinating to see these adaptations and…