FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What is an Art Practice?
A: An Art Practice is more than simply making art. It's a personalized system that helps you maintain your creativity, generate new ideas, and keep improving and growing. If you make art, you already have an art practice. The question is, is it helping you towards your goals? Watch the video for more:
An art practice goes far beyond just making art. While many people assume it means repeatedly practicing specific skills (like drawing hands or feet), an art practice is more comprehensive. I like to think of it as an iceberg. Making art is just the tip of the iceberg — what you see on social media or in movies.
Beneath the surface are essential elements of making art such as:
Research: Taking classes, reading, and observing.
Exploration: Discovering personal preferences, favorite techniques, and artistic identity.
Idea Generation: Activities like walking or yoga can stimulate creative thinking.
Analysis: Reflecting on completed work to assess what works, what doesn’t, and what can be improved.
Systematic Approach: A consistent system that keeps you creating and growing even when inspiration is lacking.
Community and Education: Engaging with others and continuing to learn supports long-term artistic growth.
In many ways, I believe an art practice is a system—something that carries you along, even when you don’t feel like creating. It keeps you making art, developing your skills, and moving forward, even when inspiration isn’t knocking at your door. It ensures that you improve because you’re consistently analyzing your work, staying connected to a community, pursuing education, and uncovering your personal voice.
This is exactly why I created myartpractice.com. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution—your art practice should be as unique as you are.
“There’s no one right way to be an artist. Your art practice is yours to shape—messy, joyful, inconsistent, and deeply personal.”
If you want to dive a little bit deeper, this podcast will take you through the ins and outs of what an art practice can be.
Q: Why do I need an Art Practice?
A: If you make art, you already have an art practice. But is it one that is helping you towards your goals?
Let’s use the metaphor of running. Just as anyone can go for a run, anyone can make art. But understanding proper form can help you avoid a running injury. Training with friends can help motivate you. You don’t have to be a professional marathoner to run every day. You don’t have to make money at running to buy nice running shoes and work at getting faster. Running can be a way of life without being a profession.
All of that is true of art making as well.
Whether you're a hobbyist or a pro, a well developed art practice can be a way to train smarter, faster, and more completely.
You can watch the video for more:
Here are three key benefits of an art practice:
Sustainability: An art practice prevents burnout by creating a sustainable system that keeps creativity flowing, even when inspiration is low. It ensures you can continue creating without exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed.
Professional Development: An art practice helps build professional skills, such as presenting, photographing, and talking about your work. It also connects what you create with your ideas and feelings, helping you develop a coherent message in your art. **Don’t let the word “professional” trip you up. It’s not about being a professional artist, but presenting in a polished and professional manner.
Skill Improvement: Consistent, thoughtful practice leads to skill development. Improvement requires intelligent, analytical practice, not just time spent creating. A structured art practice pushes you to explore and grow effectively.
An art practice is a system designed for rapid, consistent improvement, and myartpractice.com helps artists build personalized, sustainable art practices that support lifelong creativity.
“You don’t need to have it all figured out to get started. The doing is what teaches you.”
Q: Who is My Art Practice For?
A: MAP is designed for artists of all levels, whether hobbyists or professionals, to develop smarter, faster, and more complete creative routines.
Key Concepts of My Art Practice:
Community:
Copious opportunities for personal interactions through message boards, live chat, private messaging, and frequent Zooms.
Emphasis on connection to each other for learning, enjoyment, and support.
Learning:
A wide variety of lessons tailored to different learning styles, including interactive tutorials, written guides, process videos, and more.
An expansive Core Curriculum focusing on building a thriving art practice, continuously updated.
Growth:
Hands-on practice sessions, group coaching, and professional development skills like presenting and discussing your artwork.
Regular feedback and critique sessions using structured methods.
Q: What do I get with the Monthly Membership?
A: You get immediate access to:
All previous content (lessons, worksheets, videos, recorded live events, etc.)
The Core Curriculum
The message boards
Upcoming live events
Current discount codes
New content every Monday AND Thursday
MAP is packed with useful information and opportunities for personal attention. It’s so big that it’s sometimes hard to explain. This chart does a pretty good job. There are five major areas in the online classroom:
Join the supportive community of My Art Practice and get immediate access to its extensive resources. Today is the day that you begin to create art you truly love.
P.S. A member named Précille helped me figure out that the chart needed to be circular in order to properly capture the MAP experience. Here’s what she said:
A: This video explains the whole thing:
These are the eight key elements of the Core Curriculum and the My Art Practice framework:
Passion & Purpose: Understanding why you create and aligning your passion with intentional goals.
Research & Exploration: Combining learning (research) with experimentation (exploration).
Analysis: Developing the ability to evaluate your work and others’ critically.
Consistency: Building a regular and sustainable creative habit.
Technical & Professional Skills: Mastering art techniques and learning how to present yourself and your work professionally.
Ideas: Developing original concepts that give art depth and meaning.
Community: Building relationships that inspire, support, and educate.
Evolution: Pursuing purposeful growth in your creative journey.
You can think of these elements as puzzle pieces.
You need all eight to form the full picture.
Q: What is this Core Curriculum you keep talking about?
A: You can pay monthly ($75) or get two months free by paying yearly ($750)
Let's Do Some Math!
My smallest one-on-one coaching package is $425 for 3 sessions.
One month of MAP membership is about one sixth of that -- just $75.
As a My Art Practice Member, you always get 2-4 live sessions with me every single month.
If my math is math-ing, the membership is a pretty amazing value.
My Art Practice can be your artistic home. Let's get to know each other through the message board, livestreams, group coaching, and more. MAP members are intelligent, encouraging, kind, and interested in learning and improving. If that describes you, I hope you'll join our community and build a thriving art practice for yourself! It's time to Connect, Create, and Thrive!