In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field...

I HAVE READ THAT IN ORDER TO TRULY MASTER SOMETHING YOU MUST DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 10,000 TIMES TO BE EXACT. THAT WOULD MEAN THAT TO TRULY MASTER MY CRAFT, I WOULD HAVE TO PAINT THE SAME PAINTING OVER 10,000 TIMES. CAN YOU IMAGINE? WHILE I TRY DAY IN AND DAY OUT TO CREATE WORK THAT CHALLENGES ME AND BECOMES BETTER THAN YESTERDAY'S WORK, I AM STILL, IN NO SENSE OF THE WORD, A MASTER AT WHAT I DO. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I HAVE LEARNED IN MY JOURNEY THUS FAR, IS THAT YOU CAN NEVER CUT YOURSELF OFF FROM LEARNING. YOU HAVE TO IMMERSE YOURSELF IN BOOKS -- BOOKS THAT TEACH YOU SOMETHING -- IN TV THAT TEACHES YOU SOMETHING -- IN PODCASTS AND AUDIOBOOKS THAT GIVE YOU SOME NUGGET OF KNOWLEDGE THAT INCREASES YOUR AWARENESS OF THE WORLD AROUND YOU.

SO MAYBE YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN MASTERING JUST ONE THING LIKE I AM... AND PERHAPS I'LL NEVER GET THERE, BUT TAKING THE CHALLENGE TO ENRICH YOUR LIFE THROUGH NEW INFORMATION AND SKILLS CAN LEAD YOU IN NEW DIRECTIONS IN LIFE, YOUR CAREER AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. I HAVE LEARNED THIS THROUGH PAINTING -- THROUGH CREATING A CAREER IN ART {PASSION}.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS:

1. YOU ARE A BADASS - JEN SINCERO

2. TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER - DAVE RAMSEY

3. RISING STRONG - BRENE BROWN

4. THE TIPPING POINT - MALCOM GLADWELL

5. DAVID AND GOLIATH - MALCOM GLADWELL

Art supplies can be very expensive. Don't let high costs keep you from creating...

It feels like I get this question all of the time; "Where do you get your art supplies?" or "Is it really expensive?" The truth is, when I first decided that I wanted to take the leap into making art my career, I was in the same boat as you. I didn't know where to start and I felt like all of the supplies I needed were super expensive and out of reach. That's when a friend told me about Blick Art Materials and everything fell into place. It's literally where I buy all of my art supplies and they're awesome!

The best part about Blick is that it's TOTALLY affordable. And it usually comes with free shipping if your order reaches a minimum. One thing I've learned is they always have awesome deals going on, so make sure to look online for coupons for extra discounts or free shipping.

Because I get asked this so often, I wanted to make a list of my most used items and where to get them. Sometimes, the Blick website can be overwhelming if it's your first time there. They have EVERYTHING. So, if you're just looking to get started, here are my top 5 must-haves in the studio:

1. Blick Art Plastic Squeeze Bottles If you've seen my work, you know I have bold black lines. These are my secret weapon. Now that you know that, that's all the information I can give you! Happy squeezing!

 2. Blick Art Studio Canvas (You can get, like, ANY size you want!)

3. Acrylics (I use a variety of Acrylic Paints, but you can choose what suits you best. If you're just starting out, I would choose an affordable set.)

4. Paintbrushes!!! How could an artist live without some of these?

5. And finally, the right table. And hey, maybe you're an easel kinda' guy (gal). But I find that being able to lay my paintings flat keeps things moving more smoothly. I LOVE a good drafting table. Like, I said, you can find EVERYTHING on Blick and this is only $140. And just wait for my Art Festival Blog post coming up about everything you need to start doing outdoor art festivals, you can find a lot of what you need on Blick!

Let me know if you have any questions you want answered here. My blog is going to become a weekly thing from here on out! How exciting! 

These will all be part of my show "The Light That Shines from Within" at the Art Association December 8th. The Show will hang from December 1-31. To purchase prints, head over to my Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NicoleGaitanArt