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I have heard from a lot of artists recently that they are feeling frustrated and discouraged. Their paintings are not good enough, they don’t paint fast enough, and they feel the pressure to create a masterpiece each time they stand at the easel.

The events of the world are not making it any easier.  Nine months of quarantine may have given you more time to paint and yet the very thing you love you avoid. You berate yourself for not taking your art seriously, for not being good enough and the vitriol spikes when you look at the easel.

What I want you to know is that the resistance you feel is natural and has been heightened by the instability of the world. To help you out I would like to introduce a series of blogs outlining steps you can take to revive your creative spirit. Let's start by looking at two truths:

You are not alone.

Your artwork does not care about you.

You are not Alone

Even in the best of times artists struggle with the expectations of what they wish to create and the limitations of their current skills. Learning to work through the discouragement and frustration is where artists and the “wanna be” artists separate. Those who accept the frustration as part of the process will continue to learn and grow. Those who stop painting will stop learning about painting.

If painting was a passing interest then good for you for trying it out and moving on. It is a choice, not a survival skill- there are other ways to make a living and/or countless other hobbies to pursue.

If the thought of not painting makes you sad, then paint. Put brush in hand or pastel to paper and make marks - do something - anything. Even the humble #2 pencil and a scrap piece of paper will do. Action feeds creativity and every artist goes through cycles of frustration and inspiration. It is a rhythm shared by creative people and is what spurs new levels of learning.

Your Artwork does not Care about You.

Artists talk about hating a painting, which is interesting because the painting has no feeling for you. The dislike is one sided so it is up to you to change that emotion. Disliking your work won’t make you a better artist but accepting your mistakes as a necessary part of learning will. Messing up a painting is not a bad thing. Mistakes reveal what you need to focus on next to take your work to the next level. Only by identifying where you struggle can you come up with a solution. Embracing your mistakes will make you a happier and better artist.

I have been though the cycle of frustration and inspiration so often that the frustration feels less discouraging and the inspiration less joyful. I know that with each new level attained there will be a new one to breech and for that I am grateful. I hope knowing that you are not alone in your struggle and that there are actions you can take will bring you back to the easel and guide your artistic journey.