You Can’t Please Everyone
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

You Can’t Please Everyone

Is everyone going to like your art? No. That might sound tough, but it’s absolutely true. And once we understand that, we can move forward.

Read More
Do Not Compare
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Do Not Compare

We humans love to compare our lives with others, don’t we? Social media drives a lot of this, but it’s also part of our human condition. We compare our houses, our cars, our children, our jobs, … we’ll compare just about anything. And when we do, it doesn’t always make us feel good. So why do we do it?

Read More
Resolutions & Focus
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Resolutions & Focus

As we close out one year and look forward to another, we often find ourselves making New Years resolutions. And as we move through the year, how long do those resolutions last? If they don’t last, why don’t they? Sometimes I wonder if the culprit for ill-fated resolutions is actually our overall focus.

Read More
Keep the Hope Alive
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Keep the Hope Alive

Being an artist and trying to build a creative small business is not for the faint of heart, and some might say it might not be good for one’s mental health. Why is that? For me painting is extremely therapeutic, but the business side can be so stressful.

Read More
Make a Plan
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Make a Plan

As I write this blog post, I’m taking a break from planning my social media marketing for this year’s Holiday Shop. Marketing planning is a bit different from watercolor planning, but the process is similar.

Read More
Be Kind to Yourself
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Be Kind to Yourself

How often do we get frustrated, angry, irritated, impatient with ourselves? More often than we’d like to admit, right? Most of us are raised to be kind to others, but does others include ourselves?

Read More
Value the Layers
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Value the Layers

Cakes have layers; onions have layers; ogres have layers; and watercolors have layers. As Shrek tried to teach us, there’s more to ogres that what we first see, and the same is true with watercolors and life.

Read More
Appreciate the Moment
Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith

Appreciate the Moment

What are you doing right now? Who is with you? Are you taking it all in… even the little things? In today’s world, we find ourselves constantly busy… not always productive… but doing something. How often do you pause, take it all in, and appreciate the moment – whatever that moment might be?

Read More