We all experience discomfort at various points in our lives, whether it's a fleeting moment of unease or a persistent feeling of something b

Let’s face it — putting your creative work out there can feel like walking a tightrope. We’re all battling those pesky inner critics, and the last thing we need is feedback that feels like a push off the edge. But here's the deal: feedback doesn’t have to be scary . In fact, when done right, it can be the secret sauce that takes your work from good to jaw-dropping. This post is all about how to give feedback builds up rather than tears down, creating a space where creativity

Scroll back through my Instagram feed ( @racheldmark ) and you’d have a hard time reducing my work to a single niche. I jump around sporadically between mediums, hobbies, passion projects, and interests. I want to “DO ALL THE THINGS”, and I lovingly describe my skill set as: “Okayist carpenter, excellent painter, resentful seamstress, reasonable traditional sculptor, general CNC wizardry, dangerous electrical engineer, great fabricator, retired software developer, exhausted p

What does PERFECTIONISM look like in your world? Below are 10 Sneaky ways PERFECTIONISM creeps into our creative practice… #1 Needing the Environment to be “JUST RIGHT” For example, needing complete silence or a specific type of lighting. While it’s important to have a comfortable workspace, perfectionism may take this to an extreme and make us rigid in our requirements. #2 Overly Reliant on RITUALS Rituals are great for getting us into a creative mindset! This can include li

This is a little challenging for some, especially if it means waking up earlier. It doesn't have to be a permanent, lifestyle change -- just try it out for a week or so and see how differently you feel throughout the day when you BEGIN with your art FIRST, because, by the end of the day, you may have very little brainpower and energy left for your personal art. See how differently you feel when you BEGIN with your art FIRST! This might mean waking up a little earlier (prefera

​In my former life I was a software developer in the video games industry. I graduated from Northeastern University, in Boston, with a BS in Computer Science in 2003. After college I had a very successful 7+ year career as a  programmer (pdf resume)  in the entertainment industry; with credits on six AAA video-game titles; and have worked for several notable companies such as: Turbine, Inc. (now Warner Brothers HEG); Insomniac Games Inc. (now Song Entertainment); and Dreamwor