mindset – Jessica Singerman Fine Art

I was recently invited to write a post for The Abundant Artist Blog on the mindset needed to build a sustainable creative practice, and I’m happy to share with you that it’s live!

“For many people, when they think about an artist at work, they envision uninterrupted marathon hours of studio time… something that isn’t realistic for most artists.

A studio practice needs to be sustainable – meaning you can keep it up for many years, whether you have family obligations or other jobs – without burning out. There are obvious necessities for a studio practice – like space and time – but to sustain a practice for a lifetime involves your mindset.

What is mindset? Simply put, mindset is the way you think. You can reframe the way you think to make your thoughts work for you, not against you.

I talk about the artist mindset in two ways: the mindset for your creative practice and the mindset for selling your work. In this post, I dig into how to cultivate an artist mindset to drive your creative practice. How do you prioritize the making part of the equation and keep creative momentum?

With mindset, people often focus on having a positive outlook. Positivity is part of it, but I advocate having a resilient mindset. The resilient artist mindset means being equipped to keep making your work even when you don’t feel like it. Develop the tools to carry you through lulls in your work and to break through blocks. Recognize that life might not be all kittens and roses, and you will have challenging moments. Having resilience lets you know that you can and will work through external and internal obstacles.

I’ve found nine keys to building a resilient artist mindset and sustainable studio practice…”

Continue reading this post on The Abundant Artist blog.

2 paintings and a dog in living room — “Go Easy” and “Pilot Mountain 3” bringing a breath of nature into this living space

A couple weeks ago, I pulled the plug on running. I’ve been nursing hamstring and hip injuries for the last couple of years, and figured the smart move would be to stop running and to walk instead. So last week I resumed my daily morning walks.

Before getting back into running a few years ago, I used to walk every morning. First it was to walk my son to preschool, and I loved sharing that time with him: walking slowly, talking to neighborhood cats, picking up tiny sticks and stones and plants to collect. When he got older and went to elementary school, I’d walk after dropping him off.

I’d look at the patterns of tree branches, and the colors of leaves and the shapes and colors of shadows on the grass.

After a week of returning to daily morning walks, I realize that during my runs, I don’t engage with my environment in the same way. When I’m running, my mind goes straight to my thoughts or to how my body feels. Whether on the road or trails, I’m paying attention to my environment, but it’s to make sure that I’m not going to get hit by a car or trip on a rock.

When I’m running I’m not looking at the landscape with my painter brain.

I’ll give you an example of how I look when I’m walking. Yesterday on my walk, I noticed the dark shape of the trees behind a meadow, the large expansive green shapes of those meadows, and the way the sky cut into the tree line.

This morning on my walk, I noticed patterns in trees: the v-shape notches between branches and the shapes of the trees before they transition to sky. I also took the time to photograph piles of branches (my current obsession) and to root through them for sticks that might spark my imagination in the studio. Who knows? Those piles of branches might be the jumping off point for a series of drawings or paintings.

So I’m enjoying my walks right now. I’m relishing moving more slowly through space and observing all the changes happening as winter transitions to spring.

Above, you’ll notice my paintings Go easy and Pilot Mountain 3. Going easy sums up this shift to walking from running, and the Pilot Mountain series is inspired by my family’s favorite hiking spot. Find them both in my shop.

Tag: mindset

The Ultimate Guide to Building a Studio Practice

On running and walking

I’d look at the patterns of tree branches, and the colors of leaves and the shapes and colors of shadows on the grass.

When I’m running I’m not looking at the landscape with my painter brain.

So I’m enjoying my walks right now. I’m relishing moving more slowly through space and observing all the changes happening as winter transitions to spring.