29th December 2020
Funny old thing the universe! This morning I opened my daily email from @sethgodin.com and this is how he started:
The blog you write each day is the blog you need the most. It's a compass and a mirror, a chance to put a stake the ground and refine your thoughts. And the most important post? The one you'll write tomorrow.
So I took this as the final hint to get on with it - unwrap the laptop Santa brought, and crack on with the thing I've disliked for so very long, writing! I've only ever written for school, college or my work. Three years ago I fell out of love with that 30 year career and was fortunate enough to be able to follow my dream of going to art school - Malvern Hills. The journey so far has been exciting, rewarding and fun. I've been down an art rabbit hole, learning so much and emerging myself in a previously unknown life - You Tube, Insta and Pinterest. I've bought more online courses than I should of and way too many supplies. I've got tons of unfinished work and spent hours on IG & YT looking at how others paint. I joined online memberships and filled my lock down with hours and hours of art. I've also procrastinated loads and given the inner critic waaaay too much time.
So where has this got me? For a target driven, tick box kinda girl the biggest challenge has been to get my head round the mantra - its all about the process, not the final painting. I first heard this from Louise Fletcher in her You Tube videos and IG posts (it was also Louise and her Art Juice podcast with Alice Sheridan that put me on to Seth Godin). Her free course in spring this year and the subsequent 10 weeks of Find Your Joy exposed me to a new concept - intuitive art. I've never been into detail and planning has its place but I'd rather just jump in. So the freedom of blind drawing, expressive mark making and free painting has been liberating and fun, as well as frustrating in equal measure. But the real learning I think, has been to tell myself, each time I doubt my efforts, and go round and round in circles that this is my journey, my path and my process of learning. It's not about my destination, its about the path I'm on - some people ahead of me, some behind me- another Louise Fletcherism (thanks Louise). There's no final destination, it's a never ending journey. All I have to do is turn up and keep doing the work. In fact it doesn't really matter what I've read or watched the message is always the same - you've got to put the hours in.
So now every Sunday this tick box girl counts up the studio hours completed the previous week and sets outs the weekly studio hours ahead. Studio hours is what I'm counting as my success, not completed paintings. I am trusting that hours put in exploring and experimenting is going to move me along my creative path.
If you're interested check out the following artists on Instagram for inspiring posts and videos. Except for Sally-ann, they have some really great videos on Youtube as well :
@jodie_king_
@Louisefletcher_art
@alicesheridenstudio
@sallyannashleyart
Just watch out for that rabbit hole!
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