Mark Evans Studio

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as an artist is the decision to commit fully to your work and your journey. That doesn’t mean knowing exactly where your career is headed or comparing yourself to anyone else’s timeline. It also isn’t intended to make you feel shame when reading that if you feel you’re not ‘committing fully’ right now. Consider this an encouraging hand on your shoulder (mine), letting you know that you can do it(!), and that you deserve to show up for yourself with honesty, discipline, and curiosity for the path you are on right now. I heard this phrase recently that resonated with me and made me want to offer it to you. Be analytical, not critical . When assessing where you’re at in any aspect of your life, criticism shuts you down. It fuels doubt, shame, and the voice that says, “I’m not good enough.” Analysis, on the other hand, opens you up. It allows you to look at your choices, your habits, and your performances with clear eyes. Ask yourself: What w...

It’s time to get out of the wide shot and into the extreme close up of your life and your goals. Students in class have heard me talk often about “doing the quiet work”. There’s a quiet kind of rebellion in choosing to follow what you truly want. Not the goals you think you should have. Not the career path your parents or your peers approve of. Not the image your industry tells you is “marketable.” But the thing that pulls at you in the middle of the night - the thing you’d chase even if nobody clapped for you when you got there. The trouble is, we live in a world that measures worth by productivity, status, and how well you fit into an existing mold. In the arts especially, it’s easy to believe that success only counts if it looks a certain way - the Broadway contract, the major award, the agent’s stamp of approval. But these are someone else’s benchmarks. If you’re not careful, you can spend years sprinting toward a life that feels hollow when you arrive. Trust me, I experienced thi...