After looking at the art I've been working on for several hours, I sometimes get frustrated because I can't really see the results I want to see, nor can I grasp what I need to do to obtain said result. Then....voila....I take a picture with my cell phone and think, holy crap, this looks waaay better than I thought AND I can clearly see where I need to tweak things. My cell phone has been a saving grace for my artwork and helps my eyes/brain really see what I've accomplished....I highly recommend taking those pics!
I believe looking at your work in the mirror has a similar effect...by simply flipping the image, your brain starts to see it as a new object/composition and see it more objectively!
I naturally picked up on doing this...my phone is always on the edge of "out of space" 🤦♀️ llol but it is so helpful to see where I need to tweak the painting
Yes. And I will often post works in progress on my FB Art Page. My followers enjoy that, but for whatever reason seeing the painting on screen shows me A LOT of what needs to be done that I often can't see in person. Seeing the same photos in black and white to gauge the value helps tremendously as well.
I think I suffer from all of these to a small extent. My biggest problem is the constant feeling of other things around the house that need attention lol. Anyhow I think what's really important is how seriously do you take art? If it's something of real value, like anything in life, you'll work through the issues. This video helped me really see that. So thanks OP for the video.
I have the artists curse on 2 of my paintings, and while people tell me, oh its nice, blah blah, I trudge through it and complete it, and think what was I thinking??? However, when I get paid, I think, well, how can I approach this better in a composition so I do not think this way? Most of my frustration is that my technique is LACKING and I am not getting the results I want for that specific painting, maybe I am being too ambitious and over stepped my supposed talent? Maybe I have the tone value and edges all wrong? So, I have vowed to really scrutinize my composition and tones BEFORE I start to paint. I find that if my planning is better, I feel less Artists curse, but it happens and it is very real. I really liked this video, thank you!!
Mine is definitely the artist's curse. It's so difficult for me to accept a compliment because I want a painting to be just a little bit better. I need to accept the process......
I paint until that point of not being able to see it anymore and that feeling of despondency sets in… then I know it’s time to put the painting away and start something new. I get completely involved in the new to the point of forgetting the previous painting. When I start feeling that “artist curse” setting in again, that’s when I go and look at the other half-done paintings waiting to be completed and start on them again with completely fresh eyes. I used to think there was something wrong with me for painting like this, but it gets the work done and now I just know it’s my process and don’t fight it anymore!
Mark I’m in the 11th grade and I did my English project on you and your influence on me as a beginning artist, thanks so much for the advice and helping people like me who have no other source to learn from. Knowledge is worth more than money can fathom.
Artists Curse is so real. I struggled with it about 2 months ago, and it almost beat me. I hated everything i would produce. I beat it by simple self reflection. I asked myself "why did i like painting?" . Because its fun and i love the magic of painting. Then, gradually i began to "let go" of the pressure and paint freely, yet also confidently, and overall just make it fun again.
@@UncleJunior52 Hell, you just described my current situation. I've invested every month for the past 8 months and have about 40 canvases in progress. Good thing that I stretch them myself afterwards and for now are easy to store.
Martin Bohring i think it kind of goes by different concepts or names. A case in point could be that the curse is related to the concept of an artist being their own worst critic. Perhaps that is really the root of the curse.
Nickhead87 I don't fear a blank canvas, just a blank white canvas. Hence as soon as i buy, they all get primed with any color of oil paint i have laying around.
Been there, done that,all 6 points. Increasingly we are letting “screen time” replace easel time, making our power to concentrate evaporate. As visual learners, we are screwed if we can’t get a handle on that and focus on what’s on the easel.
Wow, Ellie you sure said a mouthfull there! And you are right on the money. I really have to "commit" more. I find myself researching subject material much more than I should be, and getting off track.
I think talent in painting doesnt exist , when people see me paint they say omg your so talented i could never paint like you because im not talented enough but in reality passion and hard work is the key . There is a great quote by Michelangelo Buonarroti "If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all.
Great artists, great scientists or anyone genuinely great at what they do, actually love what they do. It’s that zing and passion, that makes them succeed.
Yes, I get the artist's curse too. I'll paint a landscape and spend about 15-20 hours on it, and I'll go through stages of liking it, hating it, loving it, back to liking it, then I'll eventually despise it. But it usually helps to get away from the painting for a few hours and do other things, to take my mind off of it, and then when I come back to it, I can see it with renewed eyes and 9 times out of 10, I love my work. I think we have our eyes in our work for such a long time that we can't see it anymore. Sometimes we just need to take a short break.
Sometimes a long break is better?! I've put aside many paintings for months before taking them out ! Then suddenly the answer is there! Then you can really make improvements ! Just keep on painting! The mind keeps on working even when you don't!
Amen. I think one must be a borderline masochist to really get to that super high level of oil painting realism. It takes an awful lot of discipline and dogged persistence. Half the battle is developing the proper mindset.
@momentinpassing There is never a gap between my minds eye and what I produce. I can see the finished work as I paint. I always manage to produce exactly what I wanted. Naturally, I have screw ups that I throw away. But the stuff I keep, is exactly what I saw in my minds eye when I started. I paint WW2 aircraft, and vintage racing cars. My specialty is watercolor, but I use acrylic and pastel as well.
@@steveharrigan7811 Hmm. Well I'm not saying I don't believe your artwork is of good quality in your opinion (you should put some up on your channel actually) and it might not even matter much, but I'm under the impression that with 'mind's eye' is meant more like a visual awareness of what realism is supposed to be, including all manner of technical things like composition, use of colour, depth, focus of a painting and so on. I kind of doubt you can nail this each and every time, without extensive research in form of notan sketches, reference photographs, a whole bunch of experience and so on. Not generally the thing a beginner would NOT have trouble with. The pre-visualisation of any art piece in one's mind only goes so far. At least when it comes to people who do not have a halfway to almost photographic memory (speaking of which, I'm sure I have actually seen your work on ArtPal). I'm confident it was a fairly accurate statement by momentinpassing that beginners will have a gap between this pre-visualisation of an artwork in their mind, knowledge of what makes great art and the ability to actually produce it. Thinking about it, a lot of musicians can not 'think of a complete song from start to finish', only to write the notes down in essentially only a matter of a few seconds. This is true for even the greatest, as creativity doesn't tend to work that way. Very rarely is the first idea you come up with, also the best. The creativity of our brains simply does not tend to work like that. I'd imagine even the absolute greatest like Mozart would sometimes pause for a bit, hum the part of the song he's working on, fix any things that don't work and move on. I doubt he'd be writing down songs in a more continuous matter. And that guy was an obvious genius. (In case you're doubting my point, it is well known Mozart wrote a lot of 'sketches', small snippets and extensive drafts for his music. He did not rely entirely on his memory. He was an expert when it comes to improvisation, however he didn't wrote songs that way from start to finish, ever.) The thing beginners tend to struggle with is knowing their work is 'not realistic', however lacking the ability and experience to fix that and paint more realistically. The opposite can be true too where you lack an understanding of why your art does not actually look more real, despite thinking it looks good. In many cases people are able to train or inform their 'mind's eye' simply by looking at better art, visit museums and all that. It's why in general a person's ability will be lagging behind.
@@PHeMoX The method I spoke of brought me from a cheesy one bedroom apartment, to a lifestyle I could have never Imagined, and my own gallery. But you are right, to each, their own.
Thank you so much! I'm a newby - haven't even done one complete work yet. But I am at a crossroads, thinking that perhaps I'm just not "good enough" - talent-wise. Everything turns to mud. This video means SO MUCH to me right now. I cannot afford instruction, just RU-vid. I'm retired and a vet with some PTSD issues that I really think painting will help me on a therapeutic level. But I need more small successes to provide the fuel to keep going. Thanks again.
John, I’m also a veteran. Keep at it. It’s definitely therapeutic. Been at it about 8 years now, maybe a few hours a week, sometimes I’ll pause for a couple months but there’s always an interest. I’ve also taken classes, which I believe are necessary. Best lo luck. Welcome home brother.
I used your knowledge base in the beginning almost 10 years ago or so. It helped me a lot in that first year of painting. Now I'm a working professional represented by galleries across the nation with press in national magazines like southwest art, american art collector etc. Listen to what he says, but also remember it's not as bleak as it may sound in this.
Nice mate can you please do a painting video or show some artwork of yours, like your first and your most recent, because I am still a beginner and am trying to learn painting for me Im going for wet on wet cause it is quick and I am somewhat ok with the results.
@@lobsterwhisperer7932 I assure you being able to do what you love and actually pay the bills doing it is hardly meaningless. If you would have asked me back when I was a homeless drug addict if I would have turned my life around andHad the privilege to do art as a living. I probably would have thought that will never happen. I assure you it's anything but meaningless. It saved my life
Gotta force yourself to love yourself. The Artist's Curse can be so heavy. Twenty years ago in my late teens to early twenties I was doing a lot of painting. Took a 20 year sabbatical, getting back into it now, and find myself reflecting as such, "What I made then was so awesome! Why are I only making junk now!" But then I remember(with notable exceptions) I hated what I painted back then, too.
'Talent' lies in our individual ability to successfully identify, navigate and persevere in overcoming these internal and external hurdles. Amazing work Mark.
Thanks for your frank accessment. I had the beginnings of a solid art career and the last year I painted all the time and a well to do mother and her son commissioned 15 paintings from me. Then "life got in the way" and I also lost ALL my slides, I was playing in a band a lot also...I got cocky and thought I didn't need galleries anymore and that I would just magically do commissioned paintings from them on...then I moved halfway across the country where no one had ever heard of me, and without slides, it was overwhelming to think of doing that many paintings to build up a body of work. Anyway, recently an old friend sent me 10 photos he took of my old paintings, and it was super emotional to see these pieces I thought I'd never see again, and it was maybe what I needed to want to paint again...the art world, like the music world is super competitive but I think I am going to start painting again and see where it takes me - money might not be spectacular, but it is good for my mental health I think.
Spot on! I attended Mark's class and have been working hard to keep painting. But he is right, life and all that other stuff seems to slow you down and eventually stop you. You just have to remember that, "Quitting is not an option."
Spot on Mark! I love painting, have drawn and painted since I was three am now seventy two. After art college I got a job in London in a studio as a fashion illustrator, then I got married and I had to work to earn money eventually I went freelance then I had my son but was still working. After having to get a teaching job to pay the bills, I now find myself looking after a blind ninety-five year old mother with dementia. I still have a little corner in the conservatory but painting is crammed in between everything else. My husband thinks I should just knock out paintings but he doesn't understand that apart from being knackered its not that easy!!! I love your videos, so inspirational and excellent to watch....they inspire me not to give up!
You can only develop your own style from learning from different sources not just one. An Artist should always be learning different techniques to find what they like best.
Probably very very true, if merely for how one person never knows everything or has all the answers (or indeed is a perfect teacher). However I think most artists in their pursuit of a perfect teacher or pure knowledge about painting, forget to put in the hours it takes to get that drawing skill, brush control, understanding of colour mixing and develop your own preferences and style. When you're first starting out you can get this milage quite quickly by copying a lot of reference photos, art pieces you love (master studies) and so on.
But is trying out New methods something Bad? Or did I just get the point wrong? I myself am a beginning artist and Im trying out New Things constantly. Right now I'm working on a bust sculpted with stone and my next project will be a sculpture made from clay. And this is the Thing, I love about being an artist. I wirkend with many different paints and tried many painting methods and themes.
Forget art classes I taught myself how to do oil painting by trial & error. I love it when I do a bad painting because they are the ones which sell the quickest. Artist block ? Artack the canvas , become assertive with a dont give a fuck attitude , tell it who is the boss & slap the paint on and do it fast. Do not become intimidated bty a blank canvas . This is how Van Gogh painted . And he never spent more than an hour on a painting.
Well I work and yes life gets in the way, but I love painting so much that I use 30 min every other day to paint and in the weekends I get up and paint. I want to learn I can show you some of my paintings, there are simple, but I love this!
Great video. I have a question that has been bothering me for awhile. Most of the time, I paint a picture that is ok. It looks pretty good, but nothing special. Once in awhile, I hit it out of the park, for me anyway. My question is, why can’t I I get my work to look the way I want all of the time? Four failures for every success. Is that common? Have a great day
Mr. Carder, I totally agree when you say that "real world" colors are much less saturated and "good" realism is achieved with much less "exposure". But in a modern world with 4k high definition LCD screens, overexposed pictures and color treated images everywhere, the public eyes are trained for seeking color. When I end a painting following the "natural colors" approach, my friends and family always says the same: that my painting are lifeless and dark. I try to argue but people are just color addicted. Could you treat this subject in the future? Thanks. Great vids as always.
You might be partially colour blind . Not many people have perfect or above normal colour vision. There have been many famous artists who were colour blind. Realism is colourful. Look out the window . Its very colourful unless its a dull overcast day. Look at a bowl of fruit which is very colourful.
@@littleheath1666 ??? Excuse me? Do you know me? Do you even know Carder's method? You don't get what i'm talking about. I'm talking about color saturation based on Carder's assumptions on good realism. Nothing wrong with my eyes (your comment its very invasive by the way).
vexguine I do think Little Heath was trying to be constructive there, as it goes... You do have a good point in your first post, but I would be asking how helpful you find your friends and family’s opinions on art in general. Do they appreciate other artists’ work, and if so, do you like the same things as them? If not, it could simply be differences in taste, or perhaps they have bad taste and don’t realise, or perhaps they simply have no idea what they are talking about. I will also stick my neck out and suggest that it is possible that they are actually jealous of you having a talent or creative ability, many people are like this and subtly seek to put you down. Most of my friends take no interest at all in my art, and I don’t go to them for advice or opinions, that is their call and I don’t feel any way about it. At the end of the day, you have to do what pleases you, there’s no other way because what one person loves, another will hate, no matter how technically ‘good’ a given piece of work is or isn’t. If you are really concerned and feel you want an objective opinion, go to people who don’t know you but are interested in art. Try putting some of your work on Instagram or something, or enter a competition or an open call at a local gallery. At least make sure the people whose opinions you seek know what they are talking about.
7) No marketing skills because they are overly introverted. 8) "Starving artist syndrome." They believe the lie that artists are poor and there is no money to be made in it so they quit.
I just learn well always know but never had a name for it, fear failure. I’m starting to feel like an oil paint collector, and all the other supplies, but I can’t seem to want to waste all money.
Thanks Mark. The artist’s curse Is such an important subject and you have explained it so well. I had friends ask me to do a 16x20 painting of a photo for a fee. This was my first time being asked to do a commission. I was flattered and accepted. After a few months I started to feel pressure and fear that they wouldn’t like it. I kept asking myself, ‘why did you ever think you are good enough to do a commissioned piece’. The shame of backing out of the commitment was greater than the fear of them not liking it, so I kept working on the painting along with taking classes and bringing the piece to work on, when allowed. 15 months later 😐 when I realized I could overwork it and ruin it, not to mention the embarrassment of how long it was taking, I varnished it and gave it to them. They loved it. Of course, I believed they were being kind. When I see it, I can only start to look for faults but am very proud of it at the same time. I learned quite a bit about myself because of the struggles during this period but it needed to happen and I’m very grateful. Knowing that I’m capable of losing my objectivity really helps me to know when to start thinking it’s time to call it done. It’s a wonderful journey.
All valid points! I think having a proper space to work is a huge thing for me. Being in my room just invites a feeling of relaxation so I throw myself on my bed and rest. To remedy this I take a sketchbook to the park or I go to the library to put in work on my ideas. Once I have sketches and stuff I want to do on bigger paper or canvas I'll limit myself to paint in my room and kick butt.
Mark Carder is an amazing human being for popularising his method, and so accessibly. I'd painted fifty bumbing and inept pictures before I decided to follow his instructions... and the results are phenomenally good; much better than I ever dreamt. Paint ugly, get the values right. That's what he says. That's basically all. They should give so give him a medal.
Finding Mark transformed my work at a time I desperately wanted to get better. I went to Austin and took a week of class with him. I got a lot out of it. That's been a couple years ago. Last Friday I think I created my best work yet and at a speed faster than I thought possible. Largely thanks to showing up to paint every week and not listening to that voice that is constantly whispering in your ear "you aren't good enough".
I like all the stuff that I do; when I look at them I can't believe I did that. If no one else likes it that's their business. People like what other people tell them is great; they don't like something because they like it, someone else has to tell them it's the real deal, that's why they all went out and bought the pet rock. The curse is trying to please them.
I'm very aware of all these things but how do I overcome the issue of "life getting in the way"? There are so many important and unpredictable things in life that it seems like I have no choice but to choose those things over making art
Same here! I’m not sure how to avoid life getting in the way. I have to put my family before my art. I’m the type of person who could spend all day in my studio, but then nothing around the house would get done!
At art school there was negative teaching with the criticism, there should be positive helpful advice and inform the students that art is without rules. It is individual effort to make something creatively. It also can be about translation into a visual format. However one has to put the time into the effort and paint.
When you discover that some of the old masters painted upwards of over 500 paintings some of them gigantic you appreciate the positive effort and dedication these guys had, and I believe that they enjoyed painting and the challenge, but I could definitely equally believe that staying alive could have been harder but also their life was an extremely simpler one.
I agree. I remember how i felt when i bought my first art supplies. Like.. what a waste, it wont look good anyway, who am i kidding. I never visited any art school and i felt like total outsider when it comes to art. Your videos removed that internal block in me and im soo glad. :) thanks a lot.
One of the ways to deal with the artist's curse is to give yourself some time and distance from the painting. Could be days; could be weeks, and then look at it with fresh eyes. There are some pieces, even going back 20-30 years, that I hated when I finished them. Looking at them again long after made me realize that some were pretty good and I shouldn't have berated myself so badly. By the same token, there are pieces that I loved when I first did them, and even sold some of them, that I would love to burn now.
Thanks Mark. I've been painting for years now but am coming up hard against the "artist's curse" at the moment so this video couldn't have come at a better time for me. It is exactly what I needed to hear.
I definately relate to the first three points. Thankyou for bringing this up it’s nice to know that others suffer the same difficulties. I m sure I experience the artists curse too which has made me throw my previous works away
Artist Course, a real thing that didn't know was well known. I beat my Artist Curse by just allowing me to think that any of the art I can produce is No Sacred. It can be imperfect and ugly as it is, still a wonderful achievement for me to allow me to see them as a finished one Thank you for your video
I have artist’s curse but when I go back sometimes years later I think to myself why was I so hard on myself, while my work is never perfect and my drawing skills are not that great I still can’t pull the trigger and get started because I fear the frustration and will just stare at my canvas, paints, brushes easel and just turn away for fear of becoming frustrated; right now I have the perfect scenario to at least dedicate 3 or more hours to painting as I live alone and have no one to answer to, so what am I waiting for? Trying very hard to push through that damn curse!
Thank you so much for this video. The artist's curse is something I can relate to. My wife says it's because I'm a perfectionist, but it is just because, so many times, I just don't like the outcome, even though others seem to love it. Good to know it's not just me!
I started painting again after a 16 year hiatus. Since I last painted, I've raised 3 kids, established myself as a furniture designer, and made tons of good and bad decisions. As a result, I've learned to give myself a lot of grace. I now apply that grace to my paintings. When I feel like quitting, I walk away for 20 minutes and try again. So far, so good.
I never see my art as being any good, even though other people may love it, I will hate it. I see a flaw in every brush stroke and it is very hard not to destroy something that I spent weeks completing. I am currently enrolled in a BFA college program and I discovered that every instructor has a different method of teaching the same subject. My question is how do I achieve proficiency in one method when my college teaches so different art techniques and it is impossible to learn a consistent practice?
I’ve had the artists curse for the past couple months. I just haven’t been happy with anything I’ve created lately. I’ve just finally started a painting that I’m actually happy with. Life gets in the way is another big one for me! I definitely have the type of personality to sit in my studio by myself all day, but there are certain things going on in my life right now that are keeping me from painting. Thanks for this video! You’re such an inspiration!
I Have been doing some watercolor but now I am learning oil painting watching your videos. Unbelievable how much I have learned with you, even now I can see my own mistakes, I was ready to quit painting. You are the best!!! Thank you, Mark,
Wow, you hit the nail with every single one. I think I suffer from all of them :D It is a privilege to hear tips and hints from this professional, he is very humble, so people here may not know, but he is the BEST painter of our current century, he painted several portraits for Former US Presidents like George Bush and a few Ladies. He also sells painting products, yet gives us videos on how to do our own mediums and paints, damaging his own business, very humble man! Thank you!!!!
1. Too busy doing other things...or . Kids work emails etc. 2. Don't have the personality to spend time alone in the studio. 3. Too many methods....distracted. 4. Poor instructions from your teacher. Not learning the right things. 5. Never starting never setting up...investing money time... But having fear of failure. Seeing yourself paint great paintings... 6. Artist's Curse....having handled all the 5... Never happy with your work...didn't like the end result. Having objectivity beyond the enthusiasm... Hard to judge your own work. Challenge.... To see it objectively....and not to stop.
You are so right on your 6 points. I spend so much time walking students thu the same problems. Everyone has creativity within but talent comes from hard work and endurance especially in the application of good skills.
These are superb documents, Mark; thank you so much for doing them. I’m a musician; there’s definitely a connection between artist’s curse and creative dissatisfaction generally, which seems to have nothing to do with the quality of work. Hearing recordings of myself years after giving live performances-and in some instances not even recognizing them-brings home that the general public comes away with a completely different experience than the artist. I’ve been happy with one or two concerts over my performing life; it’s very possible they weren’t the best ones.
For like 7 years I've Ben trying to teach myself to paint ,that I hope I can take your course but no money yet.I have watched videos for years trying people painting. I just have a hard time mixing colors.Also I love the painting that look so real.I love painting and spend hours trying. I can't give up.thats what I'm feeling now.
I've watched several of your videos and have learned a lot already even though I've been painting for years. The few things I've learned so far are the things I intend to do like for instance, I'm no longer going to blend my colors until the end. When I first started painting long ago I didn't blend much. I would make my strokes and only blend at the end when I felt it was needed. My older paintings are better than the ones I have done in the last few years. I don't know why I changed my painting method but I intend to return to it. Before I started watching you videos I watched a lot of other painting videos but never followed their instructions. It was only when I began painting with watercolors and painting with my airbrush (separate painting methods) that I started watching instructional videos. As most painters know, painting with watercolors and painting with oils is completely different. I love both. Several months ago I took out my airbrush and began painting celestial type paintings. I became very involved with it after watching someone painting like this. I then watched videos on how to create acrylic pours. I decided to mix the two. Many of my celestial paintings start out as acrylic pours and after they have dried thoroughly I airbrushed planets and stars on them. Someone saw them when I had them for sale on Ebay and the buyer purchased eleven paintings at once. I was blown away. He put them in his store. I did so many of these paintings that I ran out of room to store them so I stopped creating them. I might go back if I sell enough to make room. My attention turned to an oil painting I started about three years ago of Vincent Van Gogh. I painted six pictures of him the way I think he may have looked and they're hanging in my Vincent room. The curtains on the windows in there some of Vincent's paintings which I love. The unfinished painting sat turned away and last week I decided to go back to it. While watching your videos I looked at my painting and began to see what it needs. I saw it with new eyes. I'm still having issues however with Vincent's shirt. The folds and crease colors are driving me mad. I simply cannot decide what color (colors) I should use. ~sigh~
very very helpful. Many times I've gone to bed exited about the painting I've been working on for hours, only to feel disappointed in the cold hard light of the next day. It seams that there is some psychology involved here.
I really liked this video, and it was an eye opener for me. I have a couple of the things that stop me two things and the first one you said was "Life Gets in the Way" and boy does it ever! So that stops me a lot and I hate that feeling, I wish I could just close the door and not let people know I'm even alive.. haha! but the 2nd reason that is stopping me I didn't even know had a name, it's your #6 - The Artists Curse, I have been so upset with a 36" round canvas painting that I just no matter what, I look at it, I put it on my easel and I just can't pursue it anymore. I don't understand myself and my art has been in very prestigious places so I should be very confident in what I paint. I had posted on FB and IG that I wanted to say goodbye to this 36" round canvas but my 'fans' and people I know all wrote me back asking me to finish it.. I thought what the heck do they know? !! So, I put it on my easel and nope!! put it back on the studio wall and tried your method of black & white, turn it upside down, and i'm quite familiar with the mirror effect, yet nothing. I would like to finish it just to get it over with - but just can't seem to get past it. Do you think I'll get over this? Some galleries are asking me for new stuff and I'm like a deer in front of an 18 wheeler wondering what to do? If you have any advise more than what you said, I'd love to hear it.
Hahaha Artist's Curse...I just ripped up and binned a beautiful painting because I overworked it into a terrible painting. So annoying. There's also the curse of the tactless comments, I have a populist to deal with who looks for different things in a painting and appreciates nothing. Trust yourself and carry on regardless.
Mark, I think I scored 6 our of 6. on this one Well, maybe not the Artists curse because I never start or finish something to feel bad about. Life getting in the way can be a reason, but im my case it is an excuse. If we wait until we have a large block of time, the perfect studio with all the quality supplies, a feeling we will be accepted by others, then we will get old and wish we had started. Do something, anything, large or small, simple or complex. Just do it and do it now. Buy quality tools and supplies and expect to throw away the first 10 painting that you do. They do not need to be perfect or even close. Have fun creating;. That is what counts. Have a good day and "Draw, Mix, and Paint" and have fun doing it all.
He mentioned fear of failure. Maybe that’s what I have. What I do know is that I have performance anxiety. Setting about to paint is a form of performance. It’s the fear of choosing the wrong color or subject or brush. It’s difficult to push through, but once I do I’m usually happy with the outcome. This fear can prevent painting for weeks at a time. Get a grip woman!
My main reason for issues is his Reason #2, yet modified. I have zero problem with hours and hours and hours alone in a studio. Actually I pray for it cause I need to concentrate. But omg.. I have too many interruptions. I'm constantly having to set my brush down and I just get thrown off .. People need to respect my space and time more and leave the drama for the evening.
I stopped for 15 years... then when my best friend died I knew I'd have to paint his portrait from a photo I had. Took an additional 3 years after grieving to pick up the brushes... and it worked. Right after that I got commissioned by a very prominent member of the community who was ecstatic with my work, and I made the biggest sale I've ever dreamed of... along with a promise that the buyer was going to spread the word to all their friends to consider having me do a painting for them. Life's funny like that sometimes.
