I was about to throw this painting away. Unfinished, it sat starting at me in my dining room. An obligation. It was just too daunting, because I was trying to copy a detailed photograph of Cappadocia, Turkey. This one.
Copying others seems safer, when you don’t trust your innate abilities. It can give you momentum when starting a new project. But that energy gives out sooner or later, and you’re left with your own bare hands.
Does canvas go in the trash, or the recycling bin? I’m sorry, painting, but I’m seriously considering it.
I’m talking to inanimate objects. Inanimate projects. I guess at this point, I have nothing to lose.
It’s paralyzing to hold the brush or pen, fingers poised on the keyboard, and try to bleed from the heart. But there’s a turning point where you must take the leap and trust yourself.
Instead of taking the painting to the trash, I spontaneously pick up my thickest brushes. With careless abandon, I start painting without looking at the photograph.
When faced with death (in this case, the death of my painting) you quite honestly Don’t Give A F*ck.
To embrace the possibility of death forces you to detach from the outcome and any expectations. At that point, you may create your best work.
I’m prepared for this painting to turn out ugly.
Let it be ugly! I dare you to be ugly. What is “ugly,” anyway, when all there can be is beauty?
At its final hour, the fear of failure becomes irrelevant. Performance anxiety disappears. There’s freedom in not taking yourself so seriously.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. – Steve Jobs
When you give yourself permission to color outside the lines, you create work that no one else can dream to create. And in a world where too many people are copying each other in the pursuit of greatness… you rise above the noise.
True originality takes you on the fast track. It seems harder at first, but once you begin, you realize how much quieter it is up there.
In creative pursuits, it’s actually easier NOT to copy others.
This painting is by no means great. It’s rushed. The left side was done a month ago, more detailed as I copied the photograph. T0day, I paint with impatience, with abstract — and careless — brushstrokes.
It’s so unlike my usual meticulous style, and so much more fun.
I put an elephant there because honestly, it’s easier to paint than the people. But looking at it now, I think it adds a sense of playfulness and wonder. And I like how the details on the left side fade into the abstract abandonment of the right. I might be making all this up to add meaning retrospectively, but who cares? I’ll give the painting to my sister who’ll obviously like this version more. I mean, elephants are just cuter than humans.
If I had copied the photograph exactly, I would’ve felt some guilt. Even if no one else knows I copied it, I’d know I held back. The next piece I’d do might also be a copy of a photograph, and I’d always wonder if I ever was a true artist.
Color outside the lines. Play outside your comfort zone.
You’ve read plenty of how-to articles, saved all the sample templates, and gotten advice from mentors. You’re already ready, as you’ve been for quite some time. Now, it’s time to trust what you know.
It won’t be great the first time, but it’s a start. There are fewer people out there who create from the heart and soul, so you’re already on your way by trying. Your voice can only get stronger if you give it the freedom to fly.
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