As an artist, the idea of committing to a daily practice forever can feel overwhelming.
But what if the answer isn’t about doing something every single day, but instead adopting an intermittent daily practice—one that fits into your life while still fueling your creativity and growth?
In this conversation on The Art Biz, artist, teacher, and paper enthusiast Helen Hiebert and I explore this very concept. Helen shared how her own creative journey has evolved, and how her approach to intermittent practices has not only enhanced her art but also shaped her teaching.
Here are three key takeaways from our conversation.
- Experimenting with intermittent daily practices can jumpstart creativity. Helen’s 100-day paper weaving project helped her build discipline, develop momentum, and overcome creative blocks. She now encourages artists to adopt shorter, manageable commitments, like her annual 30-day “Weave Through Winter” class.
- Balancing structure while innovating. Helen has discovered that maintaining a consistent class structure allows her to creatively evolve the content, keeping it fresh for herself and engaging for her students.
- Focusing on the process over the outcome. Helen emphasizes the value of being present in the act of making, rather than worrying about the final product. This approach fosters growth, discovery, and creative courage.
Whether you’re looking for new ways to invigorate your creative practice or strategies to keep teaching fresh, Helen’s insights offer plenty of inspiration.
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Helen Hiebert Quotes
“If I’m doing them every single day, they’re not all going to be perfect. They’re not even, they’re not all going to be my favorites. But the process of doing them, I feel like I get something out of it every day.”
“ Being creative is as important as waking up each day.”
“All of these things happen when you just do the work. And then, if you start talking about it and sharing it, things will happen that you can’t even imagine because people are looking at your work online.”
“There are so many layers to something really sinking in and becoming concrete rather than abstract.”
I really want artists to understand that if they are trying to sell their work, promote their work, show their work, that it is a daily practice as well.
—Alyson Stanfield
Watch
Mentioned
Janie McDonald’s daily practice mentioned in The Times (London)
Helen’s Weave Through Winter February class
Related Episodes
Other episodes with artists who discuss their studio practices.
About My Guest
Helen Hiebert is a Colorado artist who constructs installations, sculptures, films, artists’ books, and works in paper using handmade paper as her primary medium.
She teaches, lectures, and exhibits her work internationally and online, and is the author of several how-to books about papermaking and papercrafts. Her next book is about weaving with paper and relates to her popular online class, “Weave Through Winter.”
Follow Helen on Instagram: @helenhiebert
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1 thought on “Relying on Intermittent Daily Practices for Creative Progress with Helen Hiebert (213)”
In April of 2022, a friend created a small painting and handed it to me. From her painting, I took inspiration from her theme, colors or technique. Next, I handed my small painting to her as inspiration for her next painting. This began our “visual dialogue”, which continues to today…almost 3 years later. This creative painting process was particularly important for both of us in 2024. My friend’s husband died of cancer and my husband went through a rigorous cancer treatment.