Mapping Your Practice
Sometimes the next step isn't finding a new direction. It's recognizing the one that's already emerging.
Most artists reach a point where they need to pause and take stock.
You may be full of ideas but uncertain which ones to follow. You may feel that something is emerging in the work but haven't yet found the language for it. Or perhaps you're simply looking for a thoughtful, experienced eye to help you see your practice more clearly.
Mapping Your Practice is designed to create space for that conversation.
Welcome
I'm Lisa Pressman, a visual artist and educator with more than four decades of studio practice.
Over the years, I've learned that artists rarely need more information. What they often need is the opportunity to step back, look carefully at their work, and recognize the patterns, questions, and possibilities that are already present.
Mapping Your Practice is a series of private conversations designed to do just that.
Together we will explore where your work has been, where it is now, and where it may be leading. We'll look at recurring themes, materials, working methods, challenges, and ambitions—not to impose a direction, but to better understand the one that is already emerging.
Whether you're in the midst of a transition, feeling stuck, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of your practice, these conversations provide space for reflection, clarity, and meaningful next steps.
What is Mapping Your Practice ?
A six-week series of three private conversations designed to help artists understand where their work has been, where it is now, and where it may be leading.
Mapping Your Practice is a series of three private conversations designed to help artists take stock of where they have been, where they are now, and where their work may be leading.
Rather than focusing on a single critique or project, these sessions look at the broader arc of your creative practice. Together we examine recurring themes, materials, working methods, questions, challenges, and opportunities that may be shaping the work.
Each artist brings different concerns to the conversation. Some are navigating a transition in their work. Some are trying to understand a body of work that is beginning to emerge. Others are seeking perspective, clarity, or a thoughtful outside eye from an experienced artist and educator.
Format
Three private one-hour Zoom sessions
Scheduled over approximately six weeks
Sessions are recorded
Recordings and meeting notes are shared after each meeting
Lifetime access to recordings and notes
Opportunity to share images and updates between sessions
Fee
$595
Limited enrollment.
Week 1 — Looking Back
What themes, questions, materials, and concerns keep resurfacing?
Week 3 — Looking Closely
What is happening in the studio right now? What's gaining energy? What's losing it?
Week 6 — Looking Forward
What is emerging? What deserves your attention? What comes next?
The value of these conversations lies in creating the space to step back and look closely at your work. Together we identify recurring themes, questions, materials, and concerns that may already be shaping your practice, helping you recognize connections that can be difficult to see when you're immersed in the day-to-day realities of making.
Rather than offering answers, I help artists ask better questions, see their work more clearly, and recognize the threads that connect where they have been to where they may be going.
The studio can be a solitary place. Sometimes the most valuable thing an artist can have is a thoughtful conversation with someone who understands the challenges of making work over time.
By stepping back, looking closely, and reflecting together, we can often identify connections, questions, and directions that are already beginning to emerge. From there, the next step becomes a little clearer.
Why These Conversations Matter
Artists spend so much time making that they rarely have the opportunity to step back and consider the larger arc of their practice.
Together we look closely at the work, the process behind it, and the questions that continue to surface. By examining what is recurring, what is shifting, and what is generating energy, we begin to identify directions that may already be emerging.
The goal is not to prescribe a path, but to help you better understand the one you are already on.
Topics We May Explore
Each artist brings different questions to the conversation. Areas of focus may include:
Current work and works in progress
Recurring themes, materials, and concerns within your practice
Connections between individual pieces and larger bodies of work
Process, experimentation, editing, and decision-making
Periods of transition, uncertainty, or change
Developing and sustaining a studio practice
Working in series and recognizing emerging directions
Contemporary and historical artists relevant to your interests
Preparing portfolios, artist statements, websites, exhibitions, or applications
Identifying practical next steps for your work and practice
“Since the workshop I hired Lisa for mentoring. She has helped me pull my art business together and put forth a more professional face to everything. Because of her and other people she has put me in touch with, my business has grown monumentally in a very short time. We also work on the painting aspect, but tying up the loose ends of the business side has been a big boost to my career.” — Joan Geary
These conversations provide an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day process of making and consider the larger arc of your practice. Together we look closely at the work, identify recurring patterns and questions, and explore what may be emerging.
Is Mapping Your Practice Right for You?
This program is designed for artists who already have an active studio practice and want the opportunity to step back and look at their work more closely.
It may be a good fit if:
You are developing a body of work and want to better understand the ideas, materials, and questions that connect it.
You sense that something is emerging in your work but have not yet found the language for it.
You are navigating a transition in your practice and want a thoughtful outside perspective.
You would benefit from dedicated time to reflect on your process, priorities, and next steps.
You are preparing for an exhibition, application, residency, portfolio review, or other professional opportunity.
You value honest conversation, close looking, and constructive feedback from an experienced artist and educator.
These conversations are best suited for artists who are actively making work and are interested in gaining greater clarity about their practice.
“I have taken several workshops from Lisa Pressman and have always come away with a better understanding of the materials used as well as a fresh sense of where I’m going with my own art making. She is an intuitive instructor, adapting her lessons to meet the needs of her students. Individual attention is one of her strengths. She allows ample time for exploration as we discover new techniques and methods for approaching our work. As a mentor, Lisa has helped me take my studio practice to the next level. Her questions are thought-provoking and individualized; her answers to my questions are honest and reliable. She is a valuable resource whether I’m updating my website, preparing for an art show, or contemplating a new body of work. Her humorous yet straight-forward approach is exactly what I need.” — Julie Snidle
“Lisa is incredibly gifted. She helps you articulate what you’re doing, where you’re stuck, and how to move forward. Perhaps her greatest gift as a mentor is helping each student develop their own voice.” — Kathy Cantwell
“Doing the mentorship with Lisa was like being given a toolbox full of resources and reflections that I have taken with me and will keep with me for a long time.” — Bridgette Guerzon Mills
Lisa Pressman: Artist and Educator
I am a visual artist and educator with more than four decades of experience in the studio.
My work has always been driven by curiosity, exploration, and a deep engagement with materials. From my early studies in ceramics and sculpture to my graduate work in painting and the interdisciplinary practice I maintain today, I have been interested in how meaning emerges through process. Layering, editing, repetition, revision, and discovery are central to both my artwork and the way I think about creativity.
My paintings, mixed media works, and works on paper have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in both private and public collections. While my materials and methods have evolved over the years, my commitment to inquiry and experimentation remains constant.
Teaching has been an equally important part of my professional life. For decades I have worked with artists in workshops, retreats, universities, conferences, online programs, and private consultations. These experiences have reinforced my belief that artists often possess more knowledge about their work than they realize. What is needed is time, thoughtful conversation, and an opportunity to look closely.
The focus of my work with artists is not to provide a formula or prescribe a direction. Instead, I help artists step back from the day-to-day process of making so they can better understand recurring themes, questions, materials, and patterns within their practice. Together we explore where the work has been, where it is now, and what may be emerging.
I believe that sustained artistic practice is built on curiosity, attention, and a willingness to remain open to discovery. Those values guide both my studio work and my teaching.
“Having Lisa as a mentor has pushed me to leave my comfort zone and grow as an artist in ways I did not think possible. Direct , honest , and always supportive , Lisa offers guidance but leaves the work and creative process for me to discover. In this way, she allows me the space to find my own voice while educating me with her expansive knowledge and expert critical eye.
Lisa is not only a great mentor and teacher, but a friend who shares her wisdom and love of art in the very best manner. I couldn't imagine a better person to inspire and help me reach the next level in my painting.” — Sonia McArdle
Frequently Asked Questions
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Artists at an intermediate or advanced level, as well as adventurous beginners looking for personalized guidance and growth.
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You can schedule your 3 hours of Zoom sessions to fit your needs and schedule. You decide how to structure your sessions—whether in 30-, 45-, or 60-minute increments—scheduled at the pace that supports your growth over 6 months. Please email Lisa to set up the first session.
lisapressmanmorepaint@gmail.com
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Your mentoring sessions will be live on Zoom with Lisa.
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No worries. Life happens. Please contact Lisa as soon as possible to reschedule your session. Email
lisapressmanmorepaint@gmail.com
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You have 6 months from the date of purchase to schedule and use all mentoring hours, even sessions needing to be rescheduled.
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Yes! We’ll focus on whatever supports your artistic growth—from the creative process to portfolio development and career strategies.