Write what you love to come upon. —Anne Lamott
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Posts Tagged ‘art’
What to Write Next
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, Writers, writing on May 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Entertainment and Connection
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on May 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Your fans, the ones that exist and the ones you have yet to make, will appreciate that what they get from you is from you. That’s what people mostly want from art: Entertainment and connection. You will always be able to do that better than ‘Al.’” — John Scalzi
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Write Your Own Rules
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, rules, Thoughts, Writers, writing on May 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
It’s understandable that a lot of beginners at any art want rules for how to do it. But there comes a time when one has to make one’s own choices about how one’s art is structured, how it’s executed, what you want it to do. There is no rulebook that will help you with that, you just have to step up and decide. That’s scary! But there’s no getting around it. — Ann Leckie
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Permission Granted
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, who are afraid of showing they care because it’s uncool. It’s uncool to have passion. It’s so much easier to lose when you’ve shown everyone how much you don’t care if you win or lose. It’s much harder to lose when you show that you care, but you’ll never win unless you also stand to lose. I’ve said it before. Don’t be afraid of your passion, give it free reign, and be honest and work hard and it will all turn out just fine.” ― Tom Hiddleston
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On Art and Commerce
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 9, 2026| 4 Comments »
It’s Monday, which seems like a perfect time for a bit of wisdom on the intersection of art and commerce. This quote comes from sci-fi author John Scalzi, who has famously taken a stand on the importance of being paid for creative work, and knows a thing or two about building a viable living around art.
As a writer, and as a creator, nothing one ever does, professionally or personally, needs to be wasted. It’s all fuel for the creative engine…
Anyway: If you’re a writer or creator, never be ashamed of what else you do. It’s 2026 and this special flavor of gilded age we live in at the moment means that what qualifies as “selling out” has an extremely high bar. Making a living was very rarely “selling out” in any era. I think these days the phrase should be mostly reserved for writing things you absolutely don’t believe, for the sort of people you would in fact despise, with the result of your work is you making the world worse for everyone. Avoid doing that, please.
Short of that, get paid, have those experiences and develop new tools. All of it will be useful for the art you do care about. That’s not selling out. That’s learning, with compensation. — There Is No Selling Out Anymore
Now I’m off to do some more learning!
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Infinite You
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 25, 2026| 3 Comments »
Creativity is infinite. Creativity is infinite. — Reese Witherspoon
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Creative Work
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, Thoughts on January 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.”
― Bertolt Brecht
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All the Pain and Joy
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, AI, art, artists, creativity, persistence, Thoughts on November 30, 2025| 1 Comment »
The flood of AI art has led to a lot of commentary, some thoughtful, some otherwise, by pundits, tech gurus, and artists themselves.
Here’s cartoonist Matthew Inman sharing his perspective on why he finds AI art problematic.
A cartoonist’s review of AI art – The Oatmeal
…I need you to know from one artist to another, that every mark you make on a page even a squiggly, imperfect one is still beautiful.
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A Nice Reminder
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on October 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s an illustrated short by Rich Wells, capturing an epiphany he had outside a tire shop.
“I thought l’d take the words from my notebook and make something visual.
A reminder to myself that all this everyday stuff – admin, errands, school runs, park trips, waiting in lines, meal times –
it’s all a gift”
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Everyday Magic
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, inspiration, practice, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Whether you want to draw, write, or some other creativity, this is pretty good advice.
The Artist Who Couldn’t Draw | The Kid Should See This
Roger didn’t like his drawings. He didn’t feel that he had any drawing talent. But then a girl named Zoe moved next door and handed him a magic black pen.
The lesson? Sometimes it helps to take things literally.
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