Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I was in Athens trying to act normal through a long Greek lunch with Vasilis and his family. Inside, I was a complete mess. I had flown to Greece carrying one request in my heart. I wanted Vasilis, the lead designer behind Dimitrios Exclusive, to create jewelry from my octopus painting. I had asked once before, more than a year ago, and he had smiled with that gracious Greek way of making you feel loved without actually answering. I didn't know if I was...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I used to tell Rita Vicari the same thing over and over again. Don't leave so much white showing. Warm it up. Make it buttery. Push it a little toward gray. Anything but that stark, pure white straight from the tube. And Rita would listen to almost everything I said. Almost. When it came to the white, she would not move. At the time, I thought I was helping her. I thought I was protecting her from a compositional mistake. But years later, I can see that...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! The rip-roaring sound of rushing water thunders forth from the nearby river. It calls out to me, warning me not to come close. The rapids violently hurl through giant rocks and boulders, twisting and thrashing whatever falls into their path. We are partway up a rocky hillside, navigating cliffs and enormous boulders piled together to create a harrowing route we have to climb through. Each step is precarious. One misstep and we could fall 10 to 15 feet onto...
about 2 months ago • 11 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! As many of you know, Milan Art Experience is one of my favorite events of the year because it brings together artists and dreamers from all over the world. This year, I'm especially excited because my dear friend and mentor, Beverly, will be a featured guest speaker and is joining me in leading a Prophetic Art & Dream Interpretation workshop. Beverly has had a profound impact on my life, my confidence, my faith, and even the way I understand creativity and...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I have always struggled with empty space. An empty space in a painting must be filled with marks or brushstrokes. An empty wall needs a powerful painting. An empty shelf needs a stack of books. An open weekend must be filled with projects and activity. Whether it is time or space, I feel anxious, ungrounded, suspended, off-kilter, desperate in that moment of quiet and stillness before a growth spurt. The Pain of Stillness Through the years, I have learned...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I’m feeling spicy and defiant. I want to break down walls, shatter the grips of control, and challenge what is expected. I feel the urge to shock and disrupt but still express what is beautiful, true, noble, and just. To bring forth what is lovely, wondrous, and inspiring. I see an image before me—a magical being, glowing in splendor, surrounded by a sea of glistening glass. A white horse waiting patiently for the moment that is coming. He will not arrive...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I walk into a meeting room in Miami with two other people from our team, feeling anxious but hopeful. We’re taking a moment out of hosting our coach retreat to conduct the final interview for a tech lead who we are counting on to fix what may be the biggest and most expensive mistake we have ever made. We have been paying a large tech team in Ukraine every month to develop an app called ArtSocial that will host art contests, all of our content, our programs...
3 months ago • 10 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! I’m slowly rolling through arrivals at Hartsfield International in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the country. I’m trying to keep an eye on my texts and find Dimitra and Jake in the sea of people and luggage. I see Jake’s hand pop up and wave, while Dimitra is actively looking around for me. I pull up to where they’re standing. Hugs, luggage in the trunk, and off we go. “So how was Bali? Magical?” I’m excited to hear all about their incredible honeymoon....
4 months ago • 5 min read
Artist Odyssey Hello World Changer! We’re packing up our whole lives in Arizona, ready to make the biggest and riskiest move we’ve ever made. We’re moving our family, our horses, and our school across the country…and we don’t even know if we’ll have a place to move in to when we get there. Several months earlier, in the fall, we found the perfect property: a 10,500-square-foot house on 64 acres, with a 6,000-square-foot commercial building that would become the new location for Milan Art...
4 months ago • 6 min read
