This blog is called Bursts of Brilliance because that’s what it feels like when you get a great idea, like the heavens opened up and handed you a gift. But that gift will pass you by if you don’t seize it. And it will wither on the vine if you don’t nurture it. I’ve seen...
Tag: brilliance
Can Boredom Lead to Brilliance?
When I was a kid, we spent many a summer day at my grandma’s house while my mom worked. Though I adored my grandmother, she was not the type to entertain her grandkids. She left that up to us. Needless to say, I spent many a boring hour staring at the wallpaper. I also spent...
It’s All About Me
That’s what I tell my husband and my kids when I’m feeling excited about something. Does that sound selfish? Maybe arrogant? Well, it’s true. When it comes to my art, it is all about me, because only I can bring my particular art and vision and message into the world. Only I can choose when...
Are We Artists or Salesmen?
There’s never been a more interesting or a more challenging time to be an artist. So many new avenues have opened up to us and choosing the arts as a profession is no longer looked down upon (at least not as heavily as it once was). But now, with so many of us working or...
Is This a Good Title?
When it comes to creativity, why do some things come so easily and others seem so very hard? Why do certain great ideas seem to pop out of nowhere, while others take months to form? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a scientific formula we could apply to ideation: get 8.4 hours of sleep,...
You’re Only a Starving Artist if You Choose to Be
I often find myself reassuring friends whose children want to go into the arts that their kids will not starve, nor will they ask for support for the rest of their lives. I know dozens of artists – writers, singers, filmmakers, visual artists, actors – and none of them are starving. Few of them ask...
Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life
Few things excite us more than a great idea, especially when it’s one of our own. Watch a person’s body language, listen to the passion in their voice, watch the light fill their eyes when they say those magic words, “I have an idea,” or “Listen to this” or “You know what we need to...