Can mistakes make the work better?

Sometimes, the hardest part of creating isn’t finding the inspiration to begin, but returning to the canvas after we’ve walked away.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

We all face moments when doubt’s voice is louder than our own. You’re returning to the easel after a long hiatus, a failed painting, or a heavy lunch, and you’re just not sure if you’re up to the challenge of jumping back into the fray.

Don’t let inaction lie to you. It might tell you that you don’t have what it takes to pull yourself out of this tailspin, but the energy to create is waiting for you in the work itself.

As long as we allow ourselves to be ensnared in purgatory’s parlor, we’re already beat. Our retort to doubt will be delivered to us on the canvas. That muddy disaster we abandoned is the underpainting for our masterpiece.

Jumping back in to some still life’s without all of the answers.

There’s no need to paint out what we’ve done, Let some of that learning come through, build on it and create something new. The lessons we learn from ‘mistakes’ can often become the very elements that shape our new work and infuse it with excitement and vitality. Transform “Why is that there?” into “How did you do that?”

Instead of fumbling with “what if’s” turn them into paint and create some new opportunities for discovery. (paint can be anything by the way, anything that you use to move forward) The journey is about discernment — about knowing that each time we revisit our work, we’re inching closer to a version that feels true for us. Some things may need to go and others will be added, but the act of continuing to learn is what moves our art forward.

How do you approach your work after stepping away?

Have you reworked an old painting?

What did it teach you?