Julia Baldwin Taylor Art

I’m donating all proceeds of prints of my painting, “Blue Ridge Love”, to Mountain Mule Packers Ranch - they are taking supplies by mules to people in Western North Carolina who are otherwise cut off from help due to Hurricane Helene. You can purchase a print at the link in my bio!

I'm donating all proceeds of prints of my painting, "Blue Ridge Love", to Mountain Mule Packers Ranch - they are taking supplies by mules to people in Western North Carolina who are otherwise cut off from help due to Hurricane Helene. You can purchase a print here: https://juliabaldwintaylor.com/product/blue-ridge-love-giclee-print/ - please share!

The original painting is being donated to a Hurricane Helene Relief fundraising event hosted by Watermans Brewing in Wrightsville Beach, NC ❤️ 🍻

Some of you know that Western North Carolina became very special to Brian and me over the last couple of years. We fell in love with the mountains, the people, and the energy there. We have been devastated by the horror that Hurricane Helene has caused.

I’ll be donating all proceeds from the sale of my latest art print, “Blue Ridge Love”, to Mountain Mule Packers Ranch, who is taking strings of pack mules with supplies to hard-hit areas that are not accessible by any other way. You can purchase at the link in my bio, or please share!

If you are in Salida tonight or next weekend, I am participating as an artist in First Fridays tonight (10/4) from 5-7ish, as well as the Salida Art Walk next weekend (10/11-10/13).

I have 30+ paintings on display at Coldwell Banker at 139 W. First Street. We’ll have some wine and snacks tonight, and next weekend I’ll be painting live.

I’d love to see you! And if we don’t know each other yet, please come by and introduce yourself ❤️

And so a new chapter begins… after a combined FIFTY years in and around Breckenridge (20 for me, 30 for Brian), we have officially migrated 90 minutes to the south to beautiful Salida, CO.

This has been a journey filled with many emotions, from fear and “WTF”, to excitement and joy. We’ve both been ready for a change for a few years now, and we finally stepped out of comfort zones and did it!! We sold our house, are searching for our next dream home, but are enjoying being renters in the meantime, just a few blocks from downtown, steps to the Arkansas River, and with a great rooftop view of the Sawatch Mountains.

We are looking forward to a more temperate climate, exploring new trails, a slower pace of life (yay for being off the I-70 corridor!), and of course, more time on the river! I also can’t wait for skiing at Monarch this winter, a hidden gem that still has that mom-and-pop feel, untainted by the mega-resort corporations.

We are loving it so far! Here are a few pics from our explorations around Chaffee County this summer ❤️ Let us know if you find yourself in our neck of the woods!

What would happen if you swapped scrolling for art-making for just 15 minutes a day?

Lately I've been challenging myself to take short art breaks when I'm tempted top pick up my phone.

Not every timeI feel the urge, but just once a day.

I started doodling and doodle-painting, things I never used to do.

I used to think doodling was stupid... it wasn’t “real” art so it was a waste of time. I used to think as a serious artist, I was too good for doodling.

But here's what I've discovered... when I doodle instead of scrolling, I feel:

✨ Calmer
✨ More optimistic
✨ Mentally clearer
✨ More creative
✨ More productive
✨ Better at solving problems

So what would happen for YOU if you swapped scrolling for doodling just once a day?

If you try it, make sure to let me know... I'd love to hear about it!

Feeling unmotivated?

Take a break and make some art!

Whether you paint, doodle, sculpt with your kid’s play-dough, or sing one of your favorite songs, getting creative can get you motivated again!

Why? Making art releases dopamine in your brain, which is known to be the most important neurotransmitter in motivation.

So if you’re feeling stuck, bored, lazy, or tired - spend just 15 minutes making some art, and see how you feel after!

And make sure to follow me for more tips on how to injecting more creativity into YOUR life - so you can thrive and live a life of joy and flow.

6 years ago, I learned about a creative writing exercise called “scripting” that drastically transformed my world. Just 15 minutes of writing each morning helped me connect with my vision for my life and get inspired to take action toward my goals.

I did this writing practice almost daily for 2 solid years, and magical things unfolded. I was the happiest I’d been in a long time, possibly ever.

But then life happened. The pandemic stopped the world. My mom died. And since then things have just gotten arguably weirder and scarier every year.

While by most people's standards I’ve still been living pretty darn well, I haven’t felt like I was truly thriving.

Then last week I was reading a book on neuroarts, which is the study of how the arts and creativity measurably change the body, brain, and behavior.

And HOT DAMN 💥 Inside the book, a Harvard researcher described scripting to a T. Even though he didn’t use that name for it, here’s what he said: “you imagine your best future self, then write about it as if it has already happened” (which is exactly what I used to do every day!).

He explains that this exercise trains your brain to flourish and increases your optimism and life satisfaction. And in my experience, it inspires you to take action toward your dreams.

The next day I was telling my therapist about what I’d read, and she helped me make the connection that I was thriving the most when I was scripting every day. I started scripting again that night, and have scripted every morning since.

And I feel amazing! I’m inspired, motivated, and creative ideas are flowing like crazy 🤯 I feel satisfied and happy when I drop into bed at night. I feel more optimistic than I have in a while, and so many fun things and experiences that I want to create.

Is this something you would be interested in learning to do? If so, put a 🖊 in the comments!

Or if you’ve scripted before but have put it on the backburner like me, but want to make it a priority again, put a ✨in the comments!

Struggling to make your art a priority? It might not just be that jam-packed schedule that's stopping you - it could be your beliefs!

Here are 3 limiting beliefs that might be holding you back:

"I don't have any talent." If I had a dollar for every time I heard this one... 🙄 Even if you don't THINK you have talent, maybe you were just never given the space to explore it. No one is born a great artist - sure, some of us might have more natural ability than others, but becoming a skilled artist takes time and practice. If you want to create amazing art, you can! Commit to a habit and your skills will improve faster than you expect.

"My art needs to look a certain way or be a perfect representation of a subject". Traditional teaching in art focuses on making a painting look realistic or follow a certain set of rules. But rules were made for breaking, especially in art! Try something you've never tried before, like an abstract, and just play. You might be surprised at how much you love what you create!

"I can't enjoy art for art's sake." In a culture of ultra-productivity, a lot of us are taught that if something's not a path to professional or financial success, we'd better spend our time doing something else more "valuable". I'm sure guilty of this one! But what if you could do something just for the joy of it? Does binging on Netflix and social media truly fill your soul? My guess is, NO! So if you have the nudge to paint, try trading your screentime for art-making just one night a week, and see what happens!

If you catch yourself thinking a negative thought about making art, try reframing it. Write a new belief, and write it down as a reminder.

For example, if you believe you can't enjoy art for art's sake, think about what you can believe. What non-tangible benefits does making art bring to your life? Does it make you feel happier? Does it ease your anxiety? Do you feel more focused at work? Write a belief about why you SHOULD be making art.

Save this post for the next time you find yourself making excuses for not prioritizing your art!

I had some much fun with this one! I used to be totally intimidated by abstracts but I started playing with them last year, and fell in love! I love the freedom of not striving for a particular outcome. Plus, I don't obsess over details and I can finish one in as little as 30 minutes!

I do still use reference photos - even if they are only the tiniest "suggestion", I like having something to look at that inspires me. Swipe to see the photo of the sky I took at the beach for this one 🌅

Have you played with abstracts? What do you like most about them? Tell me in the comments!

How do you tell if a painting is finished?

I knew something felt just a tiny bit off as I was prepping our latest painting project for the Soulshine Creative Society.

I record all of our painting projects and lessons on my art table with an overhead mount for my phone, giving a bird’s eye perspective.

So I knew I needed to get the painting off the table an onto my easel so I could not only view it right next to my reference photo, but so I could see it from a different angle.

After a 5 minute snack break, I came back and could see what it needed.

The mountains further away from the viewer weren’t popping enough.

They were softer, lighter, and purpler than I had painted them, and mine weren’t contrasting enough from the dark mountain on the left.

Swipe to see how I lightened them up and how this subtle change pulled the piece together.

Are there more tweaks I could make?

Yes, absolutely.

But I chose to call it done.

I teach my students that it’s not about perfection or obsessing over tiny details.

It’s about creating something that YOU’RE happy with.

Sometimes that “something” is the experience of painting more than the finished product.

It means recognizing that not every painting has to be a masterpiece.

It means showing up for the joy of the process.

Having been taught to aim for perfection throughout my artistic education, this one has been hard for me to implement.

But I’m getting there, and I have to say I am having more fun than ever (and so are a lot of my students)!

Do you struggle with perfectionism too? Share with me in the comments!

Does this happen to you?

You're in the flow, working on your next masterpiece, and then suddenly you realize half the paints on your palette are dry.

Argh!! 😫

So how the heck do you keep your paint from drying so fast?

If anyone understands this problem, it’s me! I live at 9,300 feet above sea level in a very arid mountain climate. Even though we get a lot of snow in our little ski town, the air humidity here is very low. Which means acrylic paint dries FAST!

I’ve been painting in this dry climate for 20 years, so I’ve learned a thing or two about keeping my paints wet and workable. Here are my top 3 solutions for keeping your paint wet and workable longer:

1️⃣ Mister: a mister is a spray bottle that sprays a very fine mist of water. This is the most economical option as you can get one on Amazon for $5 or any store like Walmart or Target. I mist my palette every 15 minutes or so to keep my paints moist. The amount of water sprayed is so insignificant, it won’t dilute your paints.

2️⃣ Slow-dry medium: There’s a variety of reasons you might want to add medium to your paint, and also an abundance of medium choices. Some artists use mediums to thicken or thin their paint. Others use it to add texture or a different finish. A slow-dry medium, also sometimes called a retarder, will extend the “open” time of your paint. In other words, it keeps your paint wet and workable longer.

3️⃣ Palette with sponge and lid: I discovered the Masterson Sta-Wet palette a few years ago when I was showing my work at outdoor art festivals. The palette has an airtight lid and a big sponge that you saturate with water inside, then you place a sheet of special palette paper on top of the sponge. I’ve kept my Sta-Wet palette uncovered for several hours and my paints stayed workable! And sealed with the lid, my paints have stayed moist for days.

Do you have a favorite tip for keeping your paints wet longer? Share with me in the comments so we can all help each other out!