Today I finished a series in the studio. I have to say it has taken me a few times longer to get pictures to the point where I am satisfied. I am a master of layering, who discards and paints over again. Who likes to look for a long time. I often paint simply because I want to paint, the process is so incredibly exciting and not because I want to achieve a great result. Sometimes it also takes time to find out what you (woman) really want.
But when I was working on this series, I was very clear. There was no long torch, no hesitation , no fussing around. Very color-intensive (but these are mostly my pictures) but also with dynamic brushstrokes, a lively series was created that corresponds completely to me. On the way back from the studio, I pondered what was special about this series. It became clear to me that it is the determination that is expressed in every brushstroke, yes also a certain security and confidence that the picture will succeed.
Synonyms for determination include energy, fearlessness, clarity, determination, and courage . I have already written about courage here in this blog, but also about the opposite, namely fears and doubts.
Today I would like to encourage you to go to work with courage and determination. To hold on to your intention to be creative with energy and determination . Not to lose sight of your goal, not to let it stop you.
And by that I don’t mean that you bite into your image, that you obsessively hold on to the first idea or that you force the final “perfect” solution. Or break it over your knee when you’re really in no shape to be creative. No. Because the “biting” will also be visible in your picture and thus it will not appear ” loose “.
Believe me, I also know it: the uncertainties, the questions and the doubts. This usually only takes place in the head and then finds expression in your picture. With this series it became clear to me that my work has more power if I don’t hesitate. Try to paint more from your feelings, less looking for solutions with your head. Just do it , feel and feel. I know it’s not that easy sometimes.
Of course, it can go a long way to gain determination and not hesitate. The more often you do something, the easier it is for you to trust your skills . And that’s an important factor in tackling things boldly. And if you act decisively, you may have to let go of other paths and possibilities. It can happen that you paint over the most beautiful part of the picture. But only in this way can you make decisions freely and with great clarity.
In my day-to-day work at the studio, I have noticed that the men in my courses more often approach their pictures with this determination, great clarity and more self-confidence. Women are more critical of themselves and more likely to doubt. This observation is of course not always true, but it is common. So now especially to the readers and painters:
Stay tuned! Show yourself in your painting with all facets in all shapes, colors, traces and curves. Do it! Accept what shows up and don’t be so critical of yourself and your work. Trust in what you have worked out so far. Stand by it. Make yourself visible! Because this way you can reach the next level of painterly freedom with ease.
