For the past 17 years I created embroidered artwork because I want to tell stories and guess what: There are still stories to tell! 😃

It’s not so much “Betsy was here” - it’s more like- WOW! The natural world is SO breathtaking - can I convey even some of that for somebody else to see? It’s so exciting to try.

The love you put into your work will be recognized by those who appreciate it and those people want that. Find a way to get your work in the light of the public and they will come. Money comes after. Show the people your soul in your art and they will want a piece of that.

What motivates me is wanting to be better than my last piece of art. Whenever I finish, I think to myself, "I can do better than this," and I always try to "up" my skills.

My wife motivates me. She is 150 percent supportive of my art career. My close circle of friends also. They are all a valuable part of my life.

I see others have studios outside of home but having done that, I like having space near my house. The dream is to earn enough to move to a place with a garden and have an annex in the garden for the studio, a hop skip to the studio with kitchen facilities for coffee , to keep the living space tidy and have even that 2 minute be a ritual . You’ve made me realise I do need tk sort through my photos that I printed and collected and put them up on a board for inspiration, not just my artwork but affirmations and other photos of landscapes and people I’ve taken over the years ,m. I tend to work on one painting wet on wet or 20 mins drying time , tenacious until it’s finished as I have to lock in to that paintings mood and feeling; but what you have reminded me is to paint on the days I’m not feeling it, just for a while , I fear running out of space but I do need to create a new body of work with the improved skill set and have those be ready for earning. I fear paying for prints if they won’t sell and rather list them on the website for a made to order but does mean I’ll have the same old prints at art fair which I’ve had for a little while and might have to offer small discount for the area I’m selling them at . I have so many new artworks that are available as prints but I don’t wish to have them all to take to art fair and end up with more stock . Enjoying this philosophy 4 mins in so far

You and Klee are part of my creative community and support team - though we have never met! 💙🙏🏽😎

I've been following your channel for several years. I'm so thankful you are sharing your journey. Its been a long road to transitioning into living my life with a creative pursuit. I can tell the creative process is what makes me happy. I understand there needs to be a financial element to keep it sustainable. Finding the balance with those two has been easier by some of the advise you've given over the years. I appreciate you both very much. Thank you for sharing. Have an excellent day.

I create Art because I can't not. It is a soul need. It is the one thing that is truly mine. I have done it all my life. If I'm not feeling it right now for some reason, I know that the program is still running in the background. As you say, it is a way of life, and I think I have learned to look at and think about things in a different way from most people. Everything I encounter has potential to become Art. If I'm not feeling motivated I try to do some other medium, or clean up or maybe I just need to go to the beach and watch the seagulls and waves. It's part of finding balance. I trust that it will come back when it's ready and I just keep going.

A good painting after several bad ones makes it all worth it and being honest about failure helps. Movie characters are fun practice because I want them to look at least sort of correct.

Some people get frustrated because they can't do all the things they get ideas for; me, I look at it as "hey, at least I'm never going to run out of ideas!" It would be utterly awful to run out of ideas. "It's not milk, it's not gonna go bad" -- so true! The only problem is, it takes up storage space.

Fantastic insights! Thank you, Rafi, for sharing!❤❤❤

Just what I needed today., Felt in a horrible slump yesterday - thankyou. Ironically, what keeps me doing this is I sleep much better if I do. Thanks again

I was taking a break from being a bit disappointed in one of my paintings lol. So many things motivate me - like getting in the flow state is a great experience to have access to in life (sort of addicting)... and challenging myself to learn and get better is also really exciting. This was so helpful and I'm going back into the my studio now - thank you!!!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on something that is always on my mind. I create because I want to tell stories and express my thoughts, regardless if people like my art or my style of art. Many of my friends like my art but no one buys it. I just keep going forward. I've been doing art most of my life, mostly in the advertising field, a good source for making a living, but it lacks freedom. I want to be free to create anything and in anyway I please and my paintings express that. My freedom to create without having a corporate clients on my back asking to make the logo bigger.

Thanks for sharing this. My motivation is to get out in nature, and look at others artwork.

Thank you Rafi ... excellent message and inspirtation.

Great videos you two. You've reinforced my own beliefs about not seeing money as a motivating factor. I happen to have a great love for natural and wild places so when I took up painting I just naturally want to reflect that. After a while I was asked to put some of my work in a local gallery and lo and behold some of them have sold. That's great and I figure I'm now in profit but that still doesn't make me want to drop everything else in my life and put out work at a faster pace to make more money. I think that'd destroy my primary motivation anyway and possibly prevent me from seeing what I see and enjoying what I love so much. So I'm a retired teacher and admit that money isn't a problem anyway but I do remember saying to kids many times to not focus on starting a career in a particular field because it pays best, but to try to know what is most interesting and enjoyable to you when choosing a pathway ahead. The measure of success is not how much money you have but how happy you are. I may have been happier if I'd focused on art much earlier and thus earned less but whatever, having a measure of talent for it makes for a nice and exciting retirement anyway. My wife and I both watch your videos (she found them) and we're both on the same art path but with our own different styles.

👍👍 James 😁

I love this pep talk! You really help me a lot. Thank you :)

Legit guffawed at , "Dude, it's not milk!"...went to tell the hubby...texted it to my sister... I'm constantly fighting the 'what if no one wants this' monster, and you set me right, once again. You are the awesomest peeps!

I needed to hear exactly this today...ALL of it. Thank you!

Thanks for the words of wisdom. We have to breathe in to breathe out

Love the video! I create art because I’ve always enjoyed the physicality of creating in my art form (I’ve done paper quilling since I was 10 years old), it’s fun and fulfilling. As I’ve gotten better and better, I relish just staring at all angles of my work as I create. I must create the different visions in my head! I’ve been really beginning to experiment with adding in different materials to my works (alcohol inks, and recently craft foam for more depth), and I have so many ideas. Creating gives me something to think about other than just daily life and my little one. I wish more people could have such a passion for something like I do with my art!

Just…..thank you. You seriously rock.

Saving this one to my favourites! So many great tips in one video ❤

I like to do my "hardest tasks fist" because as the day wears on, I start to get tired... and the tasks seem more overwhelming towards the end of the day. I learned this from Brian Tracy... "eat that frog".

Hi Rafi.thanks for the tips ...now I must think about whats motivating me 🤔🥰❤❤🎉😊

This was a good one for my current state of mind as my career as an artist has been up and down for years - as I approach my 50th year on this planet I have been dealing a lot with the ideas and concepts of motivation and truly asking - what are my reasons for doing this? I have always had to hold a job - ideally, I have been able to do that part time so I can do my artwork the rest of the time. Recently - I moved to a new area so that I could downsize and keep the part time thing going and put more time into my art - however - even at this point I have been deeply questioning my reasons of why. Money is not a good motivator - though starving also is not a great help. In the past when I did work for money - I ended up in some form of compromise - and that stops all art work - sometime for months.

Thank you Rafi, great video!

Thank you for this!!!

OMG I have missed you guys (don't ask), and this is perfect timing subject, thank you!.

May the force be with you, both🎨💡

I don't need anything from outside to motivate me. It comes from within. Money is great if there is any but I'd rather get a normal job for the money and keep making art in my sketchbooks.

This was awesome and totally what I needed! Thank YOU for sharing! ❤❤❤ I’ve been a motivational dead zone since I had Covid last month. I think listening to you a few times is going to help me break free of it!

Thanks, Rafi! Your videos help me so much. They have since the beginning. I always write down or sketch ideas. I've learned that a lot of my bad headspace IS perfectionism, fear of judgement or failing or even succeeding and then not being able to do the good thing again. So, I've been doing a lot of things like your "beach art" you talked about years ago, faster stuff to pay bills. Which added to my bad headspace because it feels like selling out. But I mean, people plead and sob story about not even paying $40 for my hours of work art. I made a mental shift this year and decided to split my creating between $ making and for my soul art. And the vital part is I gave myself permission to just make soul art without attachment to if it sells. And permission to use any means I want to make $ art even if it feels lazy or like cheating or whatever. It's actually not. All's fair in art and war. lol. Thank you again for inspiring me with your journey, and Klee's journey, and for always feeling like supportive family. I am feeling more motivated these days. It's like finally letting go of the block "I can't eat that because it's wrong" and just eating the damned cookie. I've been craving drawing whatever I want and I'm trying now.

I just love this video and it is about creating something you love and this is a very motivated video❤❤❤ I don't care if I sell anything I love what I can create it's everything to me❤❤❤

Yes 3 project minimum cuz my adhd can't be forced to one subject....gotta be able to shift instead of wait.

I love these tips! I really needed this motivation this morning ❤

11:52 with the work that doesn’t sell, would you say some of the old work won’t sell because the skill level was different? While I’ll paint over some because they don’t feel like my work, Most I keep because they still feel like me from another time. Some won’t sell and that’s ok. Like you say that’s. It why I create. It’s why I started the art business but not why I create the work. Have to keep those things separate, money is the product of good connection. The art connecting and is the artist connecting to the person buying :)

Just a general thank you comment to you and this video. Been in an artiatic slump lately and I've been trying to push out from it and this video has made that feel alittle closer to that happening, with your great advice and positive artistic energy as always.

What are your thoughts about creating under an alias? I have been creating for years, but afraid to put it out there. I like my life private & afraid of loosing that part of me. I’m really introverted & don’t like a ton of attention. I didn’t even want to go to my wedding because the bride is always the center of attention. 😂

If you don't know that you have a voice, it means then you are not using yours! If you don't know what yours sounds like, you are going to have to search and listen as you create! But someone like that may not even want to find theirs. They may be able to draw or paint but they won't be able to create something moving!

I also fold my underwear So I can put it where It will fit Bit buy bit In my dresser drawer. Do you fold yours too? Please say how you do Fold twice or four Or even more? Oh, how nice ot looks! My underwear I always wear When I leave my lair Just believe it 'cause I won't show it It would shock you! 😅