Blog 3 - Minette Riordan, Ph.D.

7 Tips for Creating an Visual Journal Page

Have you been wondering how to get started with visual journaling? Here are 7 quick tips for creating an visual journal page that is meaningful and pleasing to you. Are you seeing all those pretty pages on social media and wondering if you could do that too? The answer is yes! You absolutely can start visual…

What is Art Journaling?

Art journaling means many different things to artists and creatives. If you search the hashtag art journaling on Instagram or Pinterest, you will find a scrumptious assortment of exquisite pages that leave you wondering, how did they do that? For me art journaling is a very special aspect of my creative process that is quite…

13 Strategies to Increase Focus and Productivity for Creatives

Here are 13 of my favorite strategies for artists and creatives who want more focus and more finished projects: 1. Track your time. Analyze the results after a week. At the end of the week you will see the truth of your relationship with time and you can get rid of what I affectionately call your…

Plagued by Self-Doubt?

When it comes to doing your most important work, you will be plagued by self-doubt throughout the journey. It’s normal. Sometimes the doubt stops us in our tracks or sends us to bed in our pajamas for a day. Sometimes the doubt is just a blip, a brief thought that dissipates like the morning fog.…

The Principles of Design: What are they, and why do they matter?

If you’ve been around any sort of creative industry or practice, you’ve probably heard about the “Principles of Design” and their importance to every piece of art. For some, these principles are hard rules to be followed to a tee (though this is a highly ethnocentric stance) while others, like experts at the Getty Museum,…

My first ever psychic reading

When I was 25, my mom gifted me a reading with a psychic in Austin, TX where I was living at the time. I can still see her clearly in my mind’s eye, sitting in a rocking chair, eyes closed, her gray hair long and loose around her shoulders. She was a lovely, gentle woman,…

SoulCollage: Making friends with my Monsters

SoulCollage®: Making friends with my Monsters If you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that I am passionate about art, collage and personal development. I love using SoulCollage® and intuitive art practices to tame some gremlins and make friends with my personal monsters. SoulCollage® is a powerful tool for pulling…

How do you practice the art of appreciation?

Core Values in Action: How do you practice the art of appreciation? We can talk about our core values all day long, we can make a list and hang it on our fridge (I did) but if we don’t understand how to put that value into action, we are not genuinely embracing or honoring that…

Intuitive Collage and Spring Cleaning for a Woman’s Spirit

Spring cleaning for your Spirit! by Dr. Minette Riordan If you are anything like me you are experiencing a bit of spring fever! Spring is my favorite time of year. At the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, our minister commented that “Spring in Santa Barbara is like icing on the cake.” What a great…

Deep Necessity: The Secret of Success for Artists and Creatives?

I’ve been cleaning out my studio and office this week in preparation for a few girlfriends who are coming for art camp next week. And in one of the piles of paper I came across an article written by Brendon Burchard for Success magazine on the topic of Deep Necessity. Brendon Burchard is a high…