Category Archives: Hey Flora

THE MEANING BEHIND OUR PAINTINGS

For years, when folks asked me the meaning behind my paintings (which they LOVE to do), I struggled to respond – feeling like I needed an intellectual answer to explain the meaning behind my work. I’ll dive into this hot topic in today’s video!

HOW TO NAVIGATE UNSOLICITED FEEDBACK

In this week’s Hey Flora, I answer a question from Grace, who writes in about the delicate dynamic of receiving unsolicited feedback.

Has this ever happened to you?

Someone sees your painting and spontaneously begins to offer tips, critiques, and ideas. Sometimes this advice is absolutely welcome, and sometimes — not so much.

HOW TO FINISH A PAINTING

I often hear people say that FINISHING their intuitive paintings is the hardest part of the process. And I totally get it. I would LOVE to help you all with this, so in this week’s Hey Flora episode, I’m offering up a few helpful tips about finishing intuitive paintings.

HOW TO SELL PAINTINGS AND KEEP THE IMAGES FOREVER!

The one regret I have in my career as an artist is that I didn’t professionally document my earlier paintings. In this week’s Hey Flora episode, I’m answering these questions, “When you’re documenting your work, how do you pay the photographer? Per photo, per session, per month? How does it all work?”

QUICK TIPS FOR SETTING UP YOUR PAINTING SPACE

If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t paint, because I don’t have the space to paint,” it’s time to get creative with your creative space!

Consider where you might be able to carve out a little space for yourself?

Do you have an extra room, garage, patio, basement or attic? Perhaps you have a friend who could easily lend you a little extra space or happily go in on renting a shared space?

Even if you’re painting on a kitchen table, in the corner of your bedroom, or in your backyard, cultivating physical space in order to create is one of the most powerful things you can do to support your creative habit.

In this week’s Hey Flora episode, I’m sharing a few basic tips to help you get your painting space up and running. One of these tips took me YEARS to figure out, so I’m thrilled to pass it along and save you some time!

HOW CREATIVITY HEALS: A CONVERSATION WITH SHILOH SOPHIA

I recently had the honor of meeting teacher, artist, poet and founder of Intentional Creativity, Shiloh Sophia. I’m guessing many of you already know Shiloh, but if not, I’m honored to make the introduction.

About a month ago, Shiloh was in Portland teaching a workshop in my studio, so of course I had to steal her away to record a couple of couch chats in my living room. As suspected, we hit it off like dear old friends.

LETTING GO WHAT YOU LIKE TO MAKE ROOM FOR WHAT YOU LOVE + OTHER TIPS ON LAYERING

I love how this week’s Hey Flora question is disguised as a painting question, but can actually be applied to life in so many ways.

Our question comes from a Studio Diaries participant, and she writes:

“I have a hard time simplifying. The first layers are pretty chaotic, and then I feel like I just paint over them. How do I simplify without just painting over everything.”

This is a great question for anyone who paints in layers or anyone who struggles with simplification in life off the canvas! In this video I offer a few super simple tips about the magic of translucent paint, letting go of what you like, focusing on what you love, and working with what’s working.

FINDING INSPIRATION

Besides, “What kind of dog is Pearl?” there are two questions I hear on a regular basis:

“Where do you find inspiration, and how do you stay inspired?”

I could happily riff on these gems for days, but I’ll keep it clear and to the point in this week’s Hey Flora Episode.

And by the way, Peal is a Maremma Sheepdog! 🙂

HOW THE HECK DO YOU TITLE A PAINTING?

Hi everyone! In this week’s Hey Flora: Weekly Tidbits for Your Creative Adventure, I’m answering the question, “How do you title your paintings?” from Elias.

While there is certainly no formula for how to choose a title for a painting (in fact, titling your paintings is totally optional!), I’m happy to share a few of my own tricks for what can sometimes feel like tricky territory.