Welcome to Pairings

Don’t let fear become the biggest influence in your creative life. Find your commitment to painting and writing by delving into your fears.

Crowded out by more robust tools, typewriters have vanished from our desks. But not our back yards.

Looking for some unique new traditions? Here are seven ways to celebrate Christmas Texas-Style, like they do in Austin, Texas.

Don’t fight it. Creativity is a choice. Once you make it, the ups, and the downs, are the fun part.

There are miles and miles of Texas, and you can learn a lot about what Texans love about their great state in six days on the road.

Life provides obstacles, but you can choose what you focus on

In 2006 I wrote this ode to my creative spirit, "Artist's Poem," and found renewed inspiration.

Hitting the road is part of my creative process. And I never pass by a historical marker without braking.

"The work never never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with" — William Faulkner

Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.

When you let go, you create space for something else to move in to your life, as Holiday Mathis told me in my horoscope.

Embrace your dual gifts: you can inhabit two worlds, and you can slide between them with ease. It’s just what writers do.

In one short paragraph author Flannery O'Connor nails down her work ethic — one that will motivate your creative soul.

Inspiration comes from many places. No use pretending it all comes out of our heads with no other stimulation. We rely on influences.

To ignore a creative funk is to imperil your creative stamina. Here's out to take a time out to tend to your creative soul.

There’s a saying in real estate, that it’s all about location. Location. Location. Location. It’s just as true in writing historical novels.

How many times have you  been set to make a photo, but there’s something in the way? Think of it not as a barrier, but as an opportunity...

Take the annual Weird Austin Homes Tour and see for yourself. Weird Homes Welcome | iPhoneography by Jann Alexander ©2016 Welcome. Let’s...

The Narrow View | iPhoneography by Jann Alexander © 2016 Behind the camera lens, you’ve got a choice. Your view can be narrow, focused...

Life is lived in the details, so your camera must always be ready to be your eyes. But it helps to be ready at the right time. Here’s...