But i guess personal motivation is still motivation, and i think the advice to create even when you don't feel like it during set blocks every day is probably the best advice you can get.

Very few people are getting paid work, and it's not going to improve any time soon. That's what stops me from creating. I make things on my own, but art as a profession is clearly out of reach, and whether we like it or not that does affect motivation.

Ah I see we are discussing inspiration and motivation today. Always interesting to see pros remark on what gets them creating, but it feels so silly to see advice on motivation when the main drag is *gestures vaguely*

You can't make a living off of it. There's war. Everything costs too much.

Pastel pleain-air

ACTUALLY OMG i just checked the price. it has increased 4x the cost from when i bought mine in 2013. :( idk if all carbon fiber bows are now super expensive or what. argh I'm sorry for the poor rec

i switched to a carbon fiber years and years ago for cello, and it's still going strong. i think it was the coda bow from shar music. would definitely recommend over wooden ones!!!! coda isn't a high end bow, but it works well and feels light enough

Final digital painting of two lemons hanging from a branch with leaves sitting on a maroon wooden surface.

Sketch of two lemons hanging from a branch with leaves.

Color flats with color variation of two lemons hanging from a branch with leaves sitting on a maroon wooden surface.

Shadow block in of two lemons hanging from a branch with leaves sitting on a maroon wooden surface.

MORNING!!! Yass I finally finished the #Heavyjan2026 Challenge. I definitely learned a lot and can't wait to apply what I learn in some newer illustrations.

#heavypaint #digitalart #illustration #painting #digitalpainting #backgroundartist

Final digital painting of a pear sitting on a blue surface. The light is hitting the pear from the front, creating a long cast shadow behind it.

Color flats of a pear sitting on a blue surface.

Shadow pass of a pear sitting on a blue surface. The light is hitting the pear from the front, creating a long cast shadow behind it.

Lighting pass added to the shadow pass of a pear sitting on a blue surface. The light is hitting the pear from the front, creating a long cast shadow behind it.

Morning! Here goes Day 26 of #Heavyjan2026 . I need to really attempt to keep these last 5 short. ALMOST THEREEEEE!!!

#heavypaint #heavyjan #illustration #digitalpainting #stilllife #art

Woman shot by Border Patrol in Chicago asks judge to let her release evidence Marimar Martinez is blocked from releasing evidence in her case by what's known as a "protective order." Though standard, her attorney says it's “become an albatross” around her neck and “keeps the en...

The woman who survived five gunshots from a Border Patrol agent in Chicago, only to be criminally charged and then cleared, now wants a judge’s permission to share records showing how the feds respond when agents use deadly force.

@chicago.suntimes.com story: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Current status of the fundraisers for those killed by ICE:
Renee Good: $1,499,580
Alex Pretti: $1,289,249
Keith Porter, Jr. $302,423
Parady La: $45,848
Heber Sanchez Dominguez: $47,991
Luis Beltrán Yanez Cruz: $18,640
Victor Manuel Diaz: $2,538
Geraldo Lunas: $2,260
Luis Gustavo Núñez: $1,935

Oh she’s EXTORTING US.

The Anti Performative ICE Resistance Guide (What Actually Helps) from The Financial Diet

Fund the Work ICE enforcement succeeds, in part, because people can't afford lawyers. So, • Set up recurring monthly donations (even $10-$25) to trusted orgs like: RAICES, National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica, ACLU, local immigrant bond funds (these matter most), and many more. • Prioritize legal defense + bond funds. If your help disappears when the news cycle does, it's not helping as much as it could.

Show Up Offline Material ways to assist • Court accompaniment (quiet presence, documentation). • Childcare or rides for families attending hearings. • Translation support (if fluent). Mutual aid coordination through existing networks.

Protect those being persecuted, from yourself Well-meaning people can cause real harm. DON'T • Share raid rumors without verification. • Post locations, schedules, or identifying details. • Pressure undocumented people to "tell their story." DO • Ask: Does this increase their risk? • Default to privacy over visibility.

Fuck ICE.

Sharing screenshots of a great post from The Financial Diet on IG that compiles some helpful jumping-off points if you’re still feeling helpless and don’t know what to do.

(Part 1 of 2)

AOC: "An ICE officer had violently pushed a woman to the ground and he had come over to help get her up and that is what precipitated this incident that very quickly led to an execution in the streets. What we are seeing here is a momentous pivotal moment for the United States."

amazing Art♡

so lucky 😭😭😭😭😭

“Why would you want to smell like an anime character?”

More like “Why WOULDN’T you want to smell like an anime character?” Especially if they are your favorite or comfort character!

Mihawk: Red wine, saffron, pomegranate, rose, cedar, and cashmere musk

on his way to plant tomatoes 🍅

#mihawk

I can't believe you got sniped for one post 😭 I hope it is reinstated, and that whoever made the complaint moves on and blocks you instead of reporting again

my painting 'office' is a 2x4 corner in our closet so sadly I do not have the space to work until we are able to move all the stored items from the closet. one day...

spent the last couple weeks rearranging every room to make room for the new baby. I am exhausted, but we are almost done. I need to repot half the plants and then can hang them. building nightstands, but they just need to be stained and assembled now! we are so close! i want to be finished already 🥺

oh i had this realization once

painting of 4 sun faced riders on shining steeds

Sun Riders

sigh. I have several pieces that I've been working on and off on for several years. idk what the hour amount even is now 😑 welcome to parenthood

“Be kind, be involved, believe in your art,” he said. “At a time when people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism. When they tell you it doesn’t matter, when they tell you a fucking app can do art you say, if it’s that important, why the fuck do they want it so bad? The answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human. And that, in my book, and in my life, includes monsters.”

Love this from Guillermo del Toro

I don't like making resolutions bc I end up feeling guilty if I don't accomplish all of them. instead going to put it out into the universe that I hope I am less tired in 2026 and get more sleep. not likely with a new baby in May, but hey ! we can dream. also hoping to find a paid art job 😭

I hope to get into a schedule of posting regularly until May. I will (hopefully) welcome another (FINAL) little addition to our family, so I'm expecting to be pretty down and out until June or July. the goal is to restart again in August again.

twitter deleted !!!!! bye bye hahahahaha! I am ready to focus back on art. I will rework my webpage and hopefully be able to start working in the next few days. feels SO good.