“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali
In all my years of being a professional photographer and artist, want to know something I have never achieved?
Perfection! 😱
Oh, I know. It is that prize jewel we all reach for and chase after, but sometimes, that reaching and chasing actually does more harm than it does good. Let me explain.
Have you ever felt too paralyzed to paint? Have you ever thought and rethought and rethought again how to start or where to take a painting? Have you trashed paintings repeatedly and even given up on some entirely?
ME! ME! This is me! 🙋♀️
If it was a list, I could immediately check them all off. It is crazy, and even disheartening at times, to think of the paintings that I have thrown away before letting a single person look at them. Why? Because I didn't think they were good enough, and you want to know when that feeling got worse and harder to choke down?
AFTER I had some success.
When Yup. It was after I had success and got the approval of others, that thumbs up, that compliment, that good score in competitions. That is when I struggled most with throwing away paintings, and trust me, I have probably thrown away more than I have ever shown.
Why do I tell you this? Because I don't want you to fall into the trap of seeking others' approval.
Yes, we do critiques in Beyond the Brushes but not to seek someone's approval. It is to learn, to grow, to find confidence in your work. Your reviewer is your friend, your confidant, your cheerleader, and most of all, your reviewer is in the same boat as you.
So, when you start getting that feeling like nothing you do is going to be good enough, remember these things:
- Start the painting anyway.
- Take a break and come back with fresh eyes.
- Let other experienced eyes take a look.
In my opinion, experience is just having the opportunity to make more and therefore learn from more mistakes. Perfection may not be attainable, but progress is what we are after.
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