FINDING YOUR "WHY"

In this section, we’re going to talk about your "why" for making time for painting. Because we all know, that when your "why" is big enough, nothing will stop you from finding your "how".

But, before we go there, let’s first tackle your “Why not?”

As I talked a little bit about in the intro, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that the number one reason we make excuses or put off practicing art and creativity is that old, familiar friend FEAR.  

“What if this just turns out to be a big, fat waste of precious time and materials? What will others say about it? What if it doesn't turn out the way I want it to? My art isn’t good enough, I’m not really an artist. I’m just pretending to be one”.

Let’s face those doubts head-on shall we? Guess what.  We are all pretending! We are all learning as we go and we’re all doubting ourselves virtually every step of the way.

Glen O’Brien said, “You start out as a phony and become real.” I’ve learned that doubt and fear are just part of the creative process, something we as creatives have to get through in order to make something great.  The longer I do art and the older I get, the more I realize, in almost every role we have in life, we are all in a sense just winging it. Sure we can read all of the books and take all of the courses, but in the end we have to be vulnerable and just do it...we have to start as a phony so we can become real.

I like to think of making art in this way - this is by Seth Godin.  He said, “Creative work is a kind of theater. The stage is your studio, your desk, or your workstation. The costume is your outfit - your painting pants… or that funny hat that helps you think. The props are your materials, your tools, and your medium.  The script is just plain old time… Just time measured out for things to happen.”

I like to think of it that way. I am just giving myself time to make things happen. And of course good things will happen as well as a lot of mistakes or failures. But I can learn from those!  We all have something to offer, so let’s you and I tell that inner critic of ours to go away so we can start focusing on our real "why" for creating.

So, what is your why?

Maybe you just want to get better at watercolor painting or maybe you have a dream of selling your art someday. Maybe you have a child that’s artistic and you want to find a way to connect with him or her.  Maybe you just want to relax and have fun creating something that didn’t exist before.

Maybe art is a kind of diary for you, a way to keep track of what’s important right now in your life. Or, you love nature and you want to get better at recording what you’re seeing and experiencing. Maybe you’ve found that painting helps you work through things emotionally and you have a lot to work through right now. Or, maybe art helps you feel closer to God.

At the end of this section you will find a set of worksheets to fill out. If you take the time to go through the rest of the units in this section before filling them out, you will be able to hone in on your true "why" and have a clearer vision of your "how". So let's get started. I can't wait to see you bloom!