Change Adds Up
I love to save change. I stash any and all extra coinage that comes my way into one gallon jars. The coins’ purchasing power seems minuscule in my hand but I feel a clink of satisfaction every time I add to the jar.
I do this because I know that change adds up over time. For our 25th anniversary my husband and I used three jars of change to have a long weekend celebration. We stayed at a nice B&B, ordered dinner with drinks, dessert and ostrich steaks and it was so good we repeated it again the next evening. This year we used the jar to help us purchase an electric recliner - after 35 years of marriage we finally have a really comfy chair courtesy of our change jar.
I think about this approach with my art and teaching. How small changes add up over time and if you focus on learning one new thing each time you paint there will be a payoff in the end. It took me two years of plein air painting before I got results I liked and now I use my plein air approach in much of my studio work. Watercolor was very frustrating at first but my recent efforts have been much more relaxed and experimental. I have become comfortable enough to let go.
A year ago I started my Patreon site, The Painter’s Classroom. I wanted a different outlet where I could reach a bigger audience and teach a wider array of subjects through the study of the fundamentals. In order to do this I had to learn to make videos. This is a skill that any pre-teen has conquered but I felt intimidated by. I am very comfortable with lecturing in front of a group but found the prospect of sitting alone in a room talking to my camera phone daunting. I took a few online courses and started. My first attempts were at best primitive with myself as the deer-in-the-headlights narrator. But just like plein air and watercolor, I knew the power of tenacity and so I kept going and got better. I upgraded equipment and learned finer editing and am now semi comfortable in front of the lens.
Here is the thing: I love making videos. They are such an efficient and creative way to teach concepts. Through the magic of editing and time lapse you can show a painting from start to finish, highlight the core concepts and everyone seeing the lesson has the same view. I can teach many different lessons by filming one painting and, by posting them on Patreon, I can have conversations with people who watched them. I now feel ready to take on the challenge of making a long video on color. A year ago I would hardly have known where to start such a project, but I do now because change adds up.
This is an odd time we are in and I hope everyone is safe and healthy. I know there is uncertainty but creativity is salve for fear. As artists we can use this time to explore new ideas, mediums and subjects.
As part of my one year anniversary on Patreon I am going to make some of the older videos public and share them on this blog and newsletter.
Here is my new intro to Patreon.
