Blog
When Someone Sees You As Wonderful
There is something so gorgeous about being told or shown what you mean to someone else. It can take your breath away.
Recently, my daughter, who is 4, took over my office for 30 minutes. I was busy on my computer so I wasn’t paying too much attention to what she was doing, but she kept asking me to get things off my shelves so she could have them to play with.
I gave her most of them. A few bowls of rocks. My buddha fountain. A candle holder and some battery run fake candles. Figurines.
After…
Gratitude in the Time of Covid
I’ll be real with you, .
Some days I just don’t feel that grateful.
Some days I wake up angry that I didn’t get enough sleep because stressing about covid or our finances kept me up all night, but my kid is cheerfully ripping the blindfold off my eyes and singing for me to wake up and PLAAAAAY already… and I am pissed because I want another hour of quiet before going through the same day we’ve been repeating the last three months. Again.
I know that I’ve got it great. I KNOW that I have a h…
The Winds, They Are A-Changin'
If it seems the whole dang world is turning upside down right about now and you’re staring down major unforeseen changes and unwanted routine overhauls lately, I salute you.
I want to share a bit of my story from before I started life coaching because this situation of being forced into stillness and having to reinvent how we live and work feels oddly familiar to me.
I hope that by sharing my experience, you will feel some comfort. While the situation outside is hairy, I know you have incred…
Compelling Storytelling with West coast Avengers Writer Bob Hall
Why exploring the questions of your day and time leads to creating more engaging stories.
Life coach Blaze Schwaller and comic writer and illustrator Bob Hall speak about what makes interesting stories. A must watch for those interested in comics, writing professionally, or working in a creative field.
Creative Reboot - Recognizing When to Pivot in your Business
In this interview with potter Lyndsay Meiklem, we talk about the emotional realities of entrepreneurship, and how to recognize when you are ready to take a different direction with your business.
Both of us ran art-based businesses in brick and mortar settings over the last decade, and when we both were ready to make some changes, we ran into emotional challenges we hadn't anticipated.
Lyndsay ran a pottery studio that was teaching-centered, and eventually expanded to offer space and community…
10 Questions with Art Director Katri Valkamo
Art Director Katri Valkamo about her journey into the children's film industry and how having a clear drive towards what she loves helped steer her there in interesting ways. We talk about childhood impulses, happy twists of fate and moving across borders to make her dreams come true. Plus, she shares her advice to those seeking to follow in her footsteps in the animation world.
1. You’re an art director for Jellyfish Pictures in the UK, working on children’s television programming and variou…
10 Questions with Gary Laib
Gary Laib talks about the many transitions most creatives make to find what they love doing, and how sometimes it isn't what we expect when we begin the journey.
If you've ever moved cross country for your work, or taken a job that you then hated, switched careers completely, or are considering taking the plunge, this one is for you!
- We spoke for a long while about happiness and how humans need to experience some setbacks and challenges in order to recognize what we truly love doing. Can y…
10 Questions with Concept Designer and Illustrator Humza Khan
Illustrator and Designer Humza Khan talks about his meditation practice, mindset and daily rituals for attaining creative flow.
1. Freelancing for many artists is a continual struggle between making work, pitching work, following up with potential clients and chasing down payments. You mentioned that you have chosen to work for studios in order to alleviate the stress and uncertainty that comes with freelancing. Can you talk about how you made the transition to a studio job and what it took t…
Artist Marc Scheff on Belief, Intuition, & Passion
Questioning the traditional path artists take or believe exists, discussing how intuition is taking your curiosity and applying it to every situation – you’re in for a fun time with this interview.
Artist and art director Marc Sheff talks about how artists really make a living and what it's all for anyway.
This week I'm letting you have a listen to the interview as it happened. Let me know if you like this format, and I can bring it back in the future!

10 Questions for Art Director Mike Vaillancourt
Art Director Mike Vaillancourt talks about creating awesome teams, finding creative flow and becoming part of something larger than yourself.
- I get the sense that you are a very team-centered director – that you truly want what’s best for your team and to bring out the best in them. What made you decide to focus on team building as an artist?