The Sage Arts

09/10/2025

Read or listen to my latest article discussing how everyday people can influence the courts. If we want these courts to continue to push back against Trump's authoritarian agenda, if we want them to preserve and progress civil rights and defend our constitution, we have to continue to speak up, be loud, and be persistent. There’s also summaries of all the good news coming out of the courts, highlighting the judiciary push back against the Trump administration’s overreach.

Go to: open.substack.com/pub/sagebrayvaron/p/be-a-voice-in-the-courts?
to read or listen (click play icon upper right on the article page for audio).

Subscribe for free or support this work through a paid subscription. Right now, all funds from subscriptions go to my local Indivisible group here in the Conejo Valley.

08/18/2025

Read or listen to my latest article about the power we have to create change including halting the dismantling of our democracy and healing our country with small persistent actions and a belief in the tremendous force of We The People. I include just a few examples of the ways this is being used to create the cracks in the foundations of this traitorous administration and ideas for small persistent things you can do daily to keep the pressure on.
substack.com//p-171181023

Subscribe to my Substack to catch up on my articles, get them by email or in your Substack reading list, and to support my contributions to help fight for our democracy. Audio versions available by hitting the little "play" icon in the upper right of each article. substack.com//

04/30/2025

Subscribe (for free!) to all my articles, videos, and podcasts now on Substack! Go to
substack.com/ (clickable link in my bio).

I'm writing a lot about US issues right now because I fear for our freedom of expression but there is an option to just get posts about creativity if you prefer.
I appreciate your support!
Now let's feed your mind and your muse.

This below is from April 17th. It's about the good, the bad, and our hopeful future in the US. Let me know what you think!
RE-POST this and other people's important posts. Flood the net! Flood the zone!

***
THE TRUTHS HIDDEN IN THE HEADLINES: A Big Picture View of Danger and Hope

I've been trying to write but I am stunned. I feel like I'm watching an HBO show where the impossible what-ifs have been filmed in the dull contrast and deep colors of heightened drama and manufactured horror.

But it's just the news.

“Just” is not the right word though. We use “just” to minimize, to show that we're not overreacting, to verbally dismiss any possibly perceived exaggeration.

But these are not just headlines. These are lasting erosions of our rights, of our dignities, and of our freedoms. Today we are no longer America. And, wow, does that sound melodramatic. But it is no less true.

I think people don't realize, amid all the noise and the sheer volume of news, between all the interviews and volleys of opinion, that the what-ifs are no longer conjecture, no longer the suppositions of a wildly creative imagination. Buried in the hyperbole and the click-bait headlines are simple horrific truths...

For the full article, copy and paste this into a browser:
sagebrayvaron.substack.com/p/the-truths-hidden-in-the-headlines

04/15/2025

ROLL CALL: Who's getting out this weekend?!
CHALLENGE: What 2 people (or more) are you bringing with you?
NEXT ACTION: Show your conviction and courage and share this!

04/11/2025

Hello my lovely creatives! I'm back but I've moved all my work to Substack where you can find new articles, videos, past podcasts, notes and more. Here's my latest article there. I've been posting mostly about today's issues because they've put our freedom of expression in danger! But I have creativity/art articles in the chute for this weekend and ongoing.
Go to substack.com/ to get it all (clickable link in my bio). Subscribe (its free!) while there. It supports my work and helps get important issues in front of those who need it or want to know more.

And RE-POST this and other people's important posts.
Flood the net! Flood the zone!

***
THE BEST THING ABOUT APRIL 5TH WASN’T THE CROWD SIZES
Harnessing the Full Power of Non-Violent Protests

This past Saturday, the US saw one of the most widely and highly attended single day of peaceful protests in US history. It was a top story in every liberal and centrist news media outlet. The coverage was largely about the numbers—the number of protests and the number of people that came out. It was a huge message from what the top estimates say might have been as many as 5 million people.

Americans were protesting because they are mad and afraid and fed up. And it wasn't just the liberals. There were Republicans and disappointed Trump voters there, young people and old people, the wealthy and the disadvantaged. There were even protests in other countries. There was, however, one thing that is often associated with protests but was not present at a single one of the estimated 1400 protest events.

What was missing was violence...

For the full article, go to (copy and paste in a browser)
sagebrayvaron.substack.com/p/the-best-thing-about-april-5th-wasnt

Harnessing the Full Power of Non-Violent Resistence

12/12/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , directly at Rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!
How do you know when your work is done? Or when you are done with a show, or a marketing plan or anything in your life? This episode is about asking the question, “Am I done with this?”
We might lean on instinct or the natural conclusion our material, imagery, or design dictates to determine when a piece is finished but could the work benefit from a conscious questioning of its finished state? We’ll talk about how this can help you avoid overworking as well as underworking your pieces and how these questions apply to how we sell, market, share, and just live as well as our art.
This is also potentially the last podcast of this show. I share my thoughts on why it’s time to at least take a pause and how that might apply to your own questions about things you’ve been doing that might have run their course. We’ll touch on the fear factors and the complications that come with big and possibly necessary changes that could, ultimately, help us grow and find the joy so essential to living a fulfilling and meaningful creative life.

12/02/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!

Do you ever get asked why you create, especially if you don’t sell or otherwise do something with the finished work? Have you ever questioned your own reasons for the hard work and effort you put into learning and creating your art work?

Today, I have a very simple answer to a question that can be complex and hard to understand for those who don’t have a particular creative passion. It not only helps others understand why you do what you do, but it can help you understand what draws you to the studio as well as increase your motivation and willingness to take risks.

11/11/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!

Do you ask yourself “what if?” If you do ask yourself “what if” a lot, then you're not even going to have to think about the answer to that. If you have to think about the answer, then this is an episode for you. And even if you do ask yourself “what if?” a lot, maybe you don't ask it in all the ways that you can as an artist. So, let's look into this phrase and why asking “what if” can be the key to unlocking a lot of creative potential while breaking down creative blocks.

11/10/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!

We measure ourselves by many things but mostly by others… how talented or successful others are and how others might see us. You might be surprised to find that your ultimate yardstick is literally in your own hands.
Join me today for a chat about how we judge ourselves, compare others to ourselves, what we can do to avoid the missteps these views can cause, and to discover the yardstick that can not only improve your artwork but your artistic process and artistic life.

10/12/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube or go to the link in my profile and find this and all available episodes!
Are you the kind of artist that sets goals and chases them or are you a person who just prefers to dream and enjoy the process of making art? Or maybe you are somewhere in the middle?
In this episode, we explore what goal setting is, when it’s useful, when its healthy to not have formal goals, and how to identify their purpose and place in a journey that may be better focused on process than results.

09/28/2024

Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , directly at Rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!
How do you approach your work’s flaws? Do you try to make everything as perfect as possible? Or do you like the imperfections in your work? Do you choose to leave them sometimes or do you resign yourself to the work not being perfect and live with it? If so, how do you live with it? Can you embrace the flaws or do they make you feel inadequate or embarrassed?
The way we deal with flaws in our work can help or hinder our productivity and the joy we find in out art. Let’s talk about the ways to look at flaws, why flaws don’t always need fixing, and how to see what really matters to your buyers and viewers when they encounter your art.

09/23/2024

As creatives, we sometimes go through periods where we lack motivation or question our purpose to the extent that it is difficult to work. Why does this happen and are there things we can do to avoid it? Or is it something that actually needs to be avoided?
I bring Brett (and both the dogs) into the studio with me this week to talk about these difficult periods of malaise and ennui and other things the French are so good at naming. We go through some of the common causes, ways to combat it, and one possible attitude tweek that can make these periods more than just something we have to tolerate.
Listen on your fave podcast player or YouTube , directly at Rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/or go to the link in my profile and find a list of all episodes!