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Painting: If Not Here Then Where
This portrait of my partner started repainted substantially in June 2024, entitled ‘If Not Here Then Where’, is a deeply personal one that aims to capture a time when we were not sure if our location was the right one (we’re still not sure). We’ve spent years looking for other places to be the ‘right’ place to live, but have…
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Creative Ideas As Currency: Growth for Artists In The Digital Economy
If content is currency, then artists, you are already wealthy. You have enough unique, interesting and useful creative ideas to turn into a wide range of quality output. In the newest incarnation of our evolving economy, content creation is the most valuable currency. Artists are the original content creators and you are sitting on a potential gold mine. Today we’ll…
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Seize the Now: Adapting the Business Model Canvas for Creativity
Here is the problem; you create great work but it doesn’t get any traction. You put it out into the world and most people seem ambivalent or simply ignore it. Of course, there are a few potential causes for this that may be unrelated to the work; incorrect audience targeting, general lack of visibility and lack of a relevant audience…
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The Democratising Effect of AI Vs the Gatekeepers of Creativity
Of course we understand that new and disruptive technologies have a divisive effect and undermine the established norms and structures that support them, that is why, by definition, they are disruptive. The advent of photography had the same impact on painting as the advent (and rapid evolution) of AI tools is currently having on a wide range of creative practice.…
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New Work, Creative Process and AI
It’s no secret that I’m an advocate of AI for creative work. In a recent post on Instagram for The Night Studio, I compared the fear of the rise of AI for creatives to the fear of photography when it first arrived. The tools are in some ways crude at the moment and I understand the contentions that creators have…
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Better Creative Process Will Triumph Over Setting Goals
Do you set yourself creative goals that you never achieve? If you can answer an honest ‘no’ to this question, then you are a very rare commodity. Part of the human condition in modern life is the drive to achieve by setting milestones. This might not be the best way to progress. Let’s consider why you need to stop focusing…
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Visual Artists Should Learn to Love AI: Here’s Why
So no one (almost no one) really expected AI to impact on art and artists so quickly. In all honesty I have to admit that I was complacent about the impact and potential of these technologies for my own practice. Then I stopped using it to create photorealistic dogs in space helmets and started using it as part of my…
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SCAMPER Your Way to Creative Excellence
Creative practice is pure problem solving. The process of taking an observation, thought or emotion and making it communicable to an audience is a problem to be solved. As visual artists we often lean into the intuitive to the detriment of process. This is a shame because there are so many great tools and techniques from other disciplines that can…
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Power Up Your Creative Problem Solving: Overcome Obstacles with Confidence
As visual artists, we face challenges every day that require critical thinking and creative problem solving. Whether it’s finding inspiration for our next project, dealing with the technical issues in our artwork or navigating the competitive landscape of the art world and the dreaded spectre of self-promotion. Despite all of this you might not recognise when you are problem solving.…
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Understand the Creative Process to Make Better Work
The creative process serves as a framework for the evolution of a creative project. There is no one “right” way to follow this process. You will encounter various slightly different definitions and terminology for the stages, so don’t expect to find a single, universally accepted version. Ultimately, you will tailor the process to suit your own working style. Begin by…
Creativity and Self Development
