Some people just always knew they wanted to be an artist (I’m lumping craftspeople in here, too, because I refuse to discuss possible differences), but other people came to their talent late in life. They may have endured emotional hardship and isolation because their talents were misunderstood. Maybe this guide will help you recognize your own inner artist, or help you diagnose a loved one before it’s too late. You might be an artist if…

I’ve been purging my studio and attic the last few weeks. Partly because I have open studios coming up, and mostly because I couldn’t even move around in my workspace anymore. The reason we had to clear out the attic is because it was too full to stow anything else from my studio. I found interesting parallels between sorting through house stuff and my art stuff. Come closer and I’ll tell you. But here, take this box up to the attic while you’re at it.

  My studio could qualify for a Guinness World Record for “world’s densest collection of matter.” I have a lot of stuff. When I get more stuff, I just squeeze it into tinier and tinier spaces around my other stuff. I swear,...

I just did a nine-day outdoor retail show. If this story doesn’t make sense, well, you try making sense after a nine-day outdoor retail show. …Parts of New Hampshire actually flooded that week from all the rain we had. I’m still a little grumpy. Does it show? Anyway, I had to reconfigure my lights during setup. That got me thinking about my history with booth lighting. It’s a long, sad tale with a happy ending, so bear with me.

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I’m from a family of non-artists. Actually, a town of non-artists. Not only did we not know any artists, nobody knew anyone who knew an artist. Consequently, a kid who spent all her free time drawing and doodling (moi) was a strange ranger. Other habits set me apart. I was always looking at the ground, not because I was shy, but because I was a natural hunter-gatherer. I acquired a huge collection of rocks, driftwood bits and pretty shells early on. (Want to see my Petoskey stone collection?)