Drawing Connections

What research in psychology and cognitive science has to tell us about creating art and thriving as artists

The Fear of Not Knowing What You're Doing - Reframing Fear, Part 3

The Fear of Not Knowing What You're Doing - Reframing Fear, Part 3

Is it really fear we feel when we are in situations where we don’t know what we’re doing? Reframing “fear” in this context as “confusion” can help us identify a broad range of strategies for what to do when we feel out of our depth.

Cultivating Creativity, Getting Things Done, Series: Fear and Art, Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyNovember 3, 2023The Fear of Not Knowing What You're Doing, 2023 Comments

The Fear of The Blank Canvas - Reframing Fear, Part 2

The Fear of The Blank Canvas - Reframing Fear, Part 2

Is it fear that artists and writers feel when facing the blank canvas or page? Reframing fear in this context as uncertainty about how to make a start or keep going can help us identify concrete ways to become unstuck.

Cultivating Creativity, Getting Things Done, Series: Fear and Art, Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyOctober 26, 2023The Fear of The Blank Canvas, 2023 Comments

Reframing Fear and Art (Part 1)

Reframing Fear and Art (Part 1)

Sometimes what we label as fear is really uncertainty, confusion, or vulnerability. Read on to learn how reframing fear can lead to problem-solving solutions that are more useful than the vague encouragement to “be brave.”

Cultivating Creativity, Getting Things Done, Series: Fear and Art, Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyOctober 19, 2023Reframing Fear and Art, 2023 Comments

How Can You Harness The Mental Pull Of Unfinished Tasks?

How Can You Harness The Mental Pull Of Unfinished Tasks?

Your brain’s tendency to keep reminding you of unfinished tasks can leave you feeling overwhelmed. But you can use the mental pull of the unfinished to your advantage in jumpstarting your day or starting something new.

Getting Things Done, Series: Forgetting AccompAnne R KearneySeptember 29, 2023How Can You Harness The Mental Pull Of Unfinished Tasks, 2023 Comments

How Can You Make Cognitive Cliffhangers Work For You?

How Can You Make Cognitive Cliffhangers Work For You?

Are unsolved problems rattling around in your brain and keeping you up and night? You can work to quiet this ongoing mental activity or you can harness it by calling on your subconscious for a problem-solving assist.

Getting Things Done, Series: Forgetting AccompAnne R KearneySeptember 22, 2023How Can You Make Cognitive Cliffhangers Work For You, 2023Comment

Why Do You Sometimes Feel You Haven’t Accomplished Anything?

Why Do You Sometimes Feel You Haven’t Accomplished Anything?

A quirk of human cognition is that we are much better at remembering the things we haven’t finished than we are at remembering the things we have. This can leave us stressed out and feeling unproductive. What to do?

Getting Things Done, Series: Forgetting AccompAnne R KearneySeptember 13, 2023Why Do You Sometimes Feel You Haven’t Accomplished Anything, 2023 Comments

Seeds of Change In My Artwork

Seeds of Change In My Artwork

In this short post, I reflect on the recent drivers of change in my artwork.

Insights Into My Art, Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyJune 26, 20232023, Seeds of Change In My Artwork Comments

The 10,000 Hours Myth and What It Really Takes to Develop Expertise

The 10,000 Hours Myth and What It Really Takes to Develop Expertise

Practice strategies you can use to turbo-charge the knowledge construction that underlies expertise.

Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyJune 21, 20232023, The 10000 Hours Myth and What It Really Takes to Develop Expertise, model building Comments

Fine Art, Not So Fine Art, and the Problem With Categories

Fine Art, Not So Fine Art, and the Problem With Categories

The problem with categorizing art and why I’ve decided to drop the “fine.”

Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyMay 3, 20232023, Fine Art Not So Fine Art and the Problem with Categories, perception Comments

When “Good Enough” Is Better Than Your Best

When “Good Enough” Is Better Than Your Best

Always trying to do your best can keep you from getting things done.

Getting Things DoneAnne R KearneyFebruary 15, 20232023, When “Good Enough” Is Better Than Your Best, decision making Comments

New Year, New Studio!

New Year, New Studio!

My new space is affecting my work in both expected and unexpected ways.

Insights Into My ArtAnne R KearneyJanuary 18, 20232023, New Year New Studio!, physical environment Comments

The Garden Makes Eve - A Parable for Human-Environment Interactions

The Garden Makes Eve - A Parable for Human-Environment Interactions

In this post, I share what I was thinking about while creating The Garden Makes Eve.

Insights Into My ArtAnne R KearneyAugust 20, 20222022, The Garden Makes Eve - A Parable for Human-Environment InteractionsComment

Musings On My Self Portrait, 2020

Musings On My Self Portrait, 2020

My Self Portrait, 2020, reflects what was going on in my mind at the height of the Covid-19 quarantine.

Insights Into My ArtAnne R KearneyAugust 5, 20222022, Musings On My Self Portrait 2020Comment

Muted Colors Are Still Colors!

Muted Colors Are Still Colors!

Expressing and exploring a love of color through the muted hues in my artwork.

Insights Into My ArtAnne R KearneyMay 4, 20222022, perception, Muted Colors Are Still Colors Comment

How To Get The Most Out Of Online Art Classes

How To Get The Most Out Of Online Art Classes

Six strategies for maximizing your online art experience.

Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyFebruary 22, 20222022, How To Get The Most Out Of Online Art Classes, model building Comment

The Power of Constraints

The Power of Constraints

Limiting choices can give your brain a rest and, paradoxically, increase creativity.

Cultivating Creativity, Getting Things DoneAnne R KearneyMay 31, 20212021, The Power of Constraints, decision making Comments

Color On My Mind

Color On My Mind

An in-depth color course helped me rethink my haphazard approach to color.

Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyApril 8, 20212021, Color On My Mind, model building Comments

Small Studio Solutions - Paper Storage

Small Studio Solutions - Paper Storage

An easy and inexpensive solution for organizing and storing large flat sheets of paper in a small studio.

Insights Into My ArtAnne R KearneyMarch 2, 20212021, Small Studio Solutions - Paper Storage, physical environmentComment

A Small Experiment in Drawing, Racism, and Changing My Perception

A Small Experiment in Drawing, Racism, and Changing My Perception

Can we consciously change the way we subconsciously think?

Growing Your BrainAnne R KearneyFebruary 11, 20212021, A Small Experiment in Drawing, Racism, and Changing My Perception, small experiments, perception, model building Comments

Living Life Below the Noise

Living Life Below the Noise

In search of a sustainable way to live life amidst the noise of information and social media.

Caring For Your BrainAnne R KearneyJanuary 9, 20212021, human scale, mental restoration, Living Life Below the Noise Comments