the artists journey nancy hillis

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Trust Yourself & Ignite Your Creativity To Create Amazing Abstract Art

Whether you dream of loosening up and exploring creativity, expressing yourself, healing and becoming whole, experimenting with paints, colors, and techniques, or surprising yourself with your art,  The Artist’s Journey®  is your step-by-step guide to bold self-expression .

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ACTIVATE YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY

Take Your Art Somewhere New In 2024: The Adjacent Possible

This is a chapter from our newest book The Adjacent Possible: Guidebook & Stories Of Artistic Transformation.  It is a kind of “extra credit” chapter, philosophical musings on the nature of being and existence and their relationship to the...

Timing, Art & New Year’s Resolutions

  No time is convenient This is a train of thought that will be occurring to a lot of people in the next days as they make their New Years’ resolutions. Anything significant and new in one’s life runs into boundaries and constraints, because...

Art, Beauty, Rembrandt & Botticelli

  My earliest memory of art was staring at two Rembrandt reproductions that hung in the living room of my childhood home in Arkansas. (Note: It turns out that both paintings below, once attributed to Rembrandt, may in fact have been created by...

ABOUT NANCY

~  Vera V. Tchikovani, San Francisco, CA, Artist’s Journey® Course Alumna

Betty found her own style

~ Betty Franks Krause

Chrissy now understands the path to her best work

~ Christine Scurr

QUIZ: What's Your #1 Artist Archetype?

Some artists create amazing art with ease, while others struggle year after year to express themselves.

What's going on? Could it be about how you approach your art?

Take the Artist's Archetype Quiz and find out.

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The Artist's Journey: Creativity Reflection Journal [Print Replica] Kindle Edition

The failed prototype, the flubbed line, the unoriginal song, the dreamless drama- and yet they are vital to your creativity- they lead to the adjacent possible and form the stepping stones, to new realizations, undiscoverable in any other way.

This book is a reflection journal crafted to nudge you to explore the inner landscape of your creativity as well as believe in yourself as an artist.

Lessons and creative prompts unfold as poets and writers speak universal truths across the centuries, exhorting you to reflect upon your life and what’s what’s meaningful to you on your creative journey.

By documenting observations, aha’s and revelations you bring visibility to the invisible: the dreams that call you, the ones that won’t let go, the ones you simply must say yes to.

The Artist's Journey Creativity Reflection Journal written by artist, best selling author, speaker and Stanford trained existential psychiatrist Nancy Hillis, M.D. is meant to inspire self-discovery, to act as a mirror of your creative process and to encourage you to trust and believe in yourself. This is a “why to” not a “how to” journal to exhort you to finally say YES to your dreams.

Start here with The Artist's Journey Creativity Reflection Journal.

Begin your journey of self expression today. Scroll up and click BUY NOW.

• Language English
• Sticky notes Not Enabled
• Publication date January 7, 2020
• File size 13538 KB
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From the Publisher

Explore your art from the inside out.

The Artist's Journey Creativity Reflection Journal

A playfully illustrated creativity self-help journal celebrating your exquisite uniqueness. The book sparks your imagination with prompts, poetic musings and stories inviting you to reflect on and activate the inner sources of your creativity.

Nancy Hillis, M.D. is an abstract artist, Stanford educated existential psychiatrist, author, speaker and founder of The Artist's Journey courses and workshops.

She helps artists transform their art from the inside out, operating from the conviction that artistic creation has as much to do with psychology as with the medium of expression. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0836BTRKP
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Artist's Journey Press (January 7, 2020)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2020
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 13538 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• #70 in Craft & Hobby Painting
• #380 in Creativity Self-Help
• #898 in Self-Esteem Self-Help

About the author

Nancy hillis.

Follow to get new release updates and recommendations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ ACHIEVEMENTS

International Bestselling Author, Book Excellence Award Winner, Reader's Favorite Gold and Silver Medals. BookAuthority named The Artist's Journey a Top 100 Creativity Book.

I guide artists to create their deepest, most authentic art through my signature approach, which combines art and psychiatry. I've helped thousands of artists transform their work from the inside out, operating from the conviction that artistic creation has as much to do with psychology as it does with paint and canvas.

I studied under renowned psychiatrist, Irvin Yalom, MD at Stanford and been featured in Inc. magazine and The New York Observer.

When not painting or teaching, I swim, play cello, write and visit my daughter in St Andrews, Scotland.

I'm excited you're reading my books so we can go on this creative adventure together.

Get on board and find out your Artist's Archetype by taking my quiz at https://artistsjourney.com/quiz

Like my Facebook page to get updates at https://www.facebook.com/nancyhillisstudio

Follow and subscribe on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheArtistsJourney

Follow me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/drnancyhillis

Follow me on instagram @the.artists.journey

If you wish to contact me, please email me at [email protected]

A WORD BY THE AUTHOR

If you enjoyed this book, it would be wonderful if you would take a moment to leave a lovely review, as your feedback may help other artists and creatives to trust and believe in themselves in their art. Your support and endorsement of the book is deeply appreciated.

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Create Your Deepest Art In The …

Imagine creating amazing art , step-by-step, in this 5 Module online course delivered weekly over 5 weeks where you’ll learn to believe and trust in yourself, so you can create art with confidence, deeply explore and experiment, and embrace the unknown.

This is for artists of all levels , whether you’re at the beginning of your artist’s journey, coming back to your art after years of not painting or you’re a seasoned professional.

Questions? Click Here To Book a Clarity Call

WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU JOIN TODAY:

Create amazing art in this 5 Module abstract painting course that is delivered weekly over 5 weeks. In The Artist’s Journey course, you’ll learn to believe and trust in yourself, so you can create art with confidence, deeply explore and experiment, and embrace the unknown. This is how you create astonishing art.

Join our fabulous private Facebook Community where the excitement happens: the exchange of ideas, inspiration, encouragement and friendships flourish in this wondrous, dynamic community of artists.

~ Teresa Pisani

Chrissy now understands the path to her best work

~ Christine Scurr

Vera took her painting to a new level

~  Vera V. Tchikovani, San Francisco, CA, Artist’s Journey® Course Alumna

Betty found her own style

~ Betty Franks Krause

Marian incorporated painting with her yoga practice

The Artist’s Journey Course Work and Nancy’s abiding trust and encouragement are the cornerstone of my artistic development. Watching her simultaneously paint and teach is captivating and spellbinding. I’ve travelled from nascent “yeah kind of” artist to one who races to her studio, eager to spend time painting, experimenting, exploring, allowing, and finally, liking my work. Grateful to Nancy forever! Namaste!

~ Marian Bach

“In the middle of the road of my life I awoke in a dark wood Where the true way Was wholly lost.”

Do you ever feel that way?

Dante Alighieri wrote those words over 600 years ago, yet they could have been written today by painters like you and me.

I remember as a child, I would sit in front of two Rembrandt reproductions that hung in the living room of my childhood home in Arkansas. For hours, I’d get lost looking at them: Young Woman with a Broom and The Man with the Golden Helmet .

As I looked into the sitters’ eyes, I imagined their personalities. What would they say if they stepped out of the paintings and sat down on the floor next to me? What were they like? I imagined playing with them and listening to them tell me stories about their lives.

I dreamt of being an artist for as long as I can remember.

But the swirl of life’s currents swept me away from that dream. I explored drama, debate, writing, biology, and chemistry. I became a psychiatrist. But then one day, that long-ago fascination with art resurfaced out of the depths.

At 36, I was brought to tears when I finally saw original Rembrandt drawings while on a painting trip in southern France. They were so alive, the people in those renderings reaching out to me across the gulf of the past.

That aliveness is what I’ve always loved about painting — yet it can get lost along the way.

So many painters are filled with self-doubt. They question their talent. Creation becomes an arduous, painful task. They retreat into technique, hoping to find that one last, secret method that will finally make them “great.”

They get their work critiqued…until they can no longer paint without a voice in their heads picking apart everything they do.

They compare themselves to other painters, and always seem to find themselves coming up short.

Along the way, their work becomes “dry.” Dead. Like a butterfly pinned to a board. Beautiful — but lifeless.

Do you ever feel that way about your work?

It’s a terrible place to be. To love something — painting — but to find it so painful. To feel lost, wanting to express yourself but not knowing how. To feel like nothing you create is really you.

You yearn for something more. To create. To feel alive.

What’s missing in all of these problems is YOU. Your soul and aliveness coming through in your art.

I would know, because I used to be the same way.

For years, I painted figures and landscapes that were beautiful, technically excellent, and got into solo shows and galleries…but they were predictable. I became bored and uninspired. I never surprised myself.

I wanted wonder and joy. I wanted magic! I wanted to fall in love with painting again.

Imagine Being Excited to Paint Again!

Imagine waking up every day and feeling excited to show up to the studio and explore and experiment .

Every time you pick up the brush, you hear an internal voice that says: “I can do this, I will do this” . Hours go by as the work pours out of you. You feel like a child again — before the doubting voices and criticism got to you.

You create paintings that surprise and delight you. You’re free of self-judgement and the constant questioning of “am I good enough?” Y ou say “yes” to taking the plunge into facing your fears and creating fully.

Hey there, I'm Nancy

I'm an abstract artist, bestselling & award winning author of The Artist's Journey® and The Adjacent Possible® books as well as a Stanford educated psychiatrist.

I’ve been an artist and existential psychiatrist for over 20 years and I'm passionate about creativity, aliveness, and living your most meaningful life.

I've been an abstract painter for decades. Several years ago I created a television program " Creativity & Consciousness " where I interviewed artists on their creative process. I learned that artists in every genre grapple with fear and self-doubt and that the interior landscape affects everything!

I believe that abstract painting is a powerful way of getting at meaning and that art is a mirror that reflects our lives … the canvas reflects back our feelings, moods, interior states, and life.

I've guided thousands of artists in creating their deepest, most alive and meaningful work, and I would love to be your guide, too!

Learn Everything to Start Creating Abstract Paintings You Love

In this 5 Module online abstract painting course 

What You’ll Learn

The one inner transformation that makes all the difference on your artist’s journey . Master this, and your procrastination and fear around painting will disappear.

​ The secret “Holy Grail” of prolific, successful artists who appear in galleries (it’s a triple threat).

​ Many ways of starting your abstract paintings , so you never spend hours staring at a blank canvas in frustration again.

​One simple compositional constraint that works every time. Use this when you’re stuck, and you’ll quickly set the “frame” that frees you to express yourself within it.

​A simple way to make your painting feel monumental so you can explore the power of scale in your art.

The value of simplifying values in a painting (believe it or not, this can be more important than color and is something all the masters are experts at).

​ How to use contrast in your paintings, so you create visual excitement, interest, and drama.

​ How to quickly fix common compositional problems, so each painting just “works” as a unified whole.

​Considerations on finishing your paintings, so you don’t get stuck in “what now?” mode and can quickly decide when a painting is done.

​And much, much more!

This course has inspired and provided me with all the concepts that forms the foundation of abstract painting.   Moreover, t hrough the Facebook group of this course I have received multiple feedbacks from other talented artists who have contributed towards my authentic painting in this course.

~ Ashwini Prasad

How The Artist’s Journey® Works

The Artist’s Journey® explores abstract painting in 5 modules which you’ll receive over the course of 5 weeks.  

Each week you’ll receive an email guiding you to the new module. You’ll receive a Focus Message at the beginning describing what you’ll explore, what you’ll do, and what you’ll complete in that module.

Each module includes a Reflection Exercise , a Slideshow Masterclass , and How-To Videos demonstrating the concepts explored, and 2-7 painting exercises in the first 4 Modules.  Module 5 is a wrap-up.

Focus Messages

Reflection Exercises

Slideshow Masterclass

How-to Videos

Painting exercises.

YOU CAN ACCESS THE MODULES ON YOUR COMPUTER OR PHONE

Follow the simple, step-by-step instructions in each module, and you’ll be able to create abstract paintings that you LOVE in no time at all.

I kept going back to different parts of the course to push it further and remind myself to keep coming back to being free to experiment. It’s extremely relevant to experienced artists as well as people wanting to start creating art. Having painted for quite a few years I was concerned that it might not suit me…. so wrong… I have such a new energy to my work and a very different process, especially when painting plein air . I get a real sense and energy to the landscape which I can bring home to the studio to work up into bigger paintings.

~ Ann Armstrong

What You’ll Learn In The Modules

Nancy is vivacious & interesting in her presentation of the modules in the courses, which I have enjoyed immensely.

Having completed The Artist Journey course & Studio Journey, I have been provided with invaluable information, developed a very strong studio practice & the love of exploring & experimenting.

My work has indeed gone to a new level, for which I thank Nancy & am eternally grateful.

Throughout my 4 year association with Nancy, I have made many new friends through the special Facebook groups & have enjoyed chatting with these “like minded” artists & viewing their work. I have also been fortunate to meet some in Australia in person, we have formed a lovely friendship .

Thank you, Nancy for these wonderful opportunities.

~ Cornelia Lehmann

Each lesson is supported by a video in which Nancy paints a picture from start to finish. That was very helpful for me.

It is such a great gift that I was able to experience thanks to these courses. I have finally found my way to paint as it suits me.

When I paint, I feel that I paint from my innermost source. And when the picture is done, it’s exactly what I want to show. I can finally identify with my pictures.  I would like to thank Nancy for that.

~ Cheryl Dyment

I am so glad that I decided to jump into your class mid-way, after speaking with you.  While the progression wasn’t the orderly manner in which I would normally approach things, it was there, nonetheless.  I have just finished going through the modules and now I am looking forward to going back and completing the many exercises that I couldn’t manage on my schedule.  I have never taken an online course before, and this has really worked out well for me.

Your lessons are well structured and the demos, very helpful.  Most of all, your positive encouragement and attitude helped me realize that I am in the right place, with the right “guide” to move me along my journey.  I have also enjoyed making the leap to use acrylics and paper, both firsts for me.  I have been painting with oils forever, and the change up in mediums has been fascinating.

~ Maja Jiranek

~ Marilyn Simler

Nancy has freed me from a more observation based working method to intuitive free mark making. A combination of the two is beginning to surface which is probably my true self!

~ Amanda Sophia Hocking

I have not done a lot in the area of abstraction but I wanted to do something that took me away from my “controlling” self and the exercises and weekly challenges have done just that. I have deliberately chosen to spread the course out over 3 months so that I can savour every moment yet still be able to further my other art/horse training commitments.

I have found a lot of parallels in the Course and training horses which comes as no surprise as you are a horsewoman, too. Such as; to ride in harmony with a competition horse you have to be prepared to be straight with yourself. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone but the gains are always worth it. Be prepared to make mistakes, learn and move on. Surrender yourself to the process and not get caught up in the “in order to’s”.

Each horse/painting is on a different journey to the one you rode before. Make lots of starts it improves the chances of success. Every test/painting is a WIP not the “Be All and End All” of Success. And most of all to lighten up and have fun with it.

~ Nina Thorne

I loved the clear and detailed structure of the course, the excellent instructional videos, and the reviews of important aspects of painting, including mark making, elements of composition, color, restraint, risk taking, trust etc. For me, it was especially helpful to be encouraged to trust my own creative expression and to distance from the inner critic. This process of opening and accepting was beautifully facilitated by concepts like „many starts“ and the Marquettes.

I have used everything I learned in this course over the past year and I find that my work is evolving in new and exciting  ways. 

I will be forever grateful to Nancy for offering this course and would recommend it to anyone. By the way, I also took the Color course and found it equally satisfying , informative, and rewarding.  

Creativity is central to feeling alive.

Will you finally say YES to your dreams?