Sips of Inspiration: An Interview with Jenny Blair

A couple weeks ago I announced I would be interviewing artists in a new monthly series. And today I’ve released the first installment!

Sips of Inspiration, creativity, inspirationAnne ButeraMarch 20, 2020Sips of Inspiration, Jenny Blair, inspiring women, inspiring people, inspiration, Inspiration, embroidery, embroidery patterns, embroidery kits, Jenny Blair Kits, artist interviews, interviews, creative business, creativity Comments

I Deleted Instagram from My Phone for 6 Weeks -- My Thoughts Coming Back

Back in November I deleted Instagram from my phone.

It was a snap decision. To take a break from social media and blogging until the new year. I’d been getting more and more uncomfortable on Instagram. Frustrated with it. The idea of taking time and space for me sounded pretty good.

inspiration, blogging, creativityAnne ButeraFebruary 7, 2020Instagram, Social Media, Deleting Instagram, Social Media break, inspiration, community, creative community, expert advice, following your own path, blogging, blogging advice, is blogging dead, Dana Barbieri, Carolyn Zick, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, rescued greyhounds, photography, photos, roses, art, art business, Jaime Haney, Meda Halmaciu, Tamara Sharkey, Moongirl Art, Little Butterfly Studio, invitatiicouture, Alisa Burke, Hipstamatic, being authentic, being yourself, following your own rules, creating your own rules, i deleted instagram from my phone for 6 weeks, my thoughts coming back after a 6 week Instagram break, creative business, authenticity, using social media, rules for using social media, what to share on Instagram, growing your instagram following, negative effects of social media, negative effects of instagram, using instagram for creative communities, creating community on social media, creating community, sharing inspiration, social media break, social media rules, making your own social media rules, following your own social media rules, popular posts Comments

Calendars are Here! (And a Pep Talk)

Back in 2011 I had a dream to create a calendar with my art.* Two years later I was finally able to do it. Every year since then I’ve designed a calendar with new paintings. It’s one of my favorite projects.

I think I say it every year, but this calendar is my favorite!

calendars, life, artAnne ButeraOctober 18, 20192020 Calendars, calendars, desk calendars, 2020 desk calendars, Anne Butera, Anne Butera's Botanical Watercolor Calendars, art journey, creative journey, inspiration, using Photoshop, learning Photoshop, dreaming big, big dreams, art dreams, creative dreams, determination, stubbornness, hard work, creative work is hard, Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, creative development, looking back, celebrating success, my development as an artist, my story, botanical illustration, botanical watercolor, business, creative business, business sense, art business, creative pep talk, encouragement, creative encouragement, words of encouragement, art practice, working hard, designing a calendar, Skillshare, Skillshare classes, teaching on Skillshare Comments

What does it mean to be creative?

My friend Ruby recently wrote a blog post about reclaiming the word creativity and it got me thinking. To be honest, it fired me up. I love discussions like this. I love thinking about and talking about creativity. I wrote a response to Ruby on her blog and then I thought I’d take my thoughts and craft them into a blog post of my own to extend the conversation.

Any Step Will Do -- How to Move Forward with Your Creative Journey

For a while now I’ve been in a weird place in my art journey. Knowing that I need to change, or am on the cusp of change, but not knowing how to do it or what that change is supposed to look like. I know I mentioned it last month.

Why Trying New Things and Even Making Mistakes is Good for Your Creativity

When you're learning how to do something or if you're building up a business, it's important to focus your energy in one direction.

When I first started teaching myself to paint I didn't do that.

notes from the studio