Posts by Dave Kaminski

The number one thing that keeps artists stuck when starting a painting is using values that are too similar. When you put paint on a white canvas with close values, you can’t actually see what’s happening, so you spend hours tweaking and perfecting things you can’t clearly evaluate. The solution is beautifully simple. Start with…

I just discovered a powerful technique that will instantly make your work bolder and clearer. Choose three words that define what you want your art to feel like, then make one of those words dominate 75% of your painting, with the other two taking up 20% and 5%. This hierarchy creates work that’s immediately impactful…

Waiting for the “right time” to make art will never work because art-making operates on a completely different principle than other challenging tasks in life. Unlike difficult conversations or obligations that drain you until you push through them, art actually gives you energy and momentum once you start. The secret isn’t finding more time, a…

We all love making art, but why is it so hard to overcome the resistance and actually do it? After talking with artists in The Studio, I’ve identified five specific strategies that help you stay connected to your practice without massive effort. From the 20-minute bloom practice to leveraging community accountability, these simple shifts can…

There are obstacles that get in the way of our art and life. Some are real.  But many of them? They only feel real because we keep thinking about them. Art, in its own way, teaches us how to move through them. Of these obstacles, three come up again and again for artists. They don’t…

The big mistake we all make—myself included—is not going far enough in the beginning. It makes sense why we hold back. When we push too far, our work often looks worse before it gets better. That’s when the doubt creeps in, and we feel the urge to backtrack. But here’s the key: you have to…