What lights you up?

It’s a new Year! But we have to make it new. Right now, as I head into the studio, I’m not trying to build out a cohesive body of work or prepare for a show.

“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” – Albert Einstein

I’m exploring, digging through the works of my past, and adding new layers. Painting over old paintings with new ideas, I’m looking for the parts that I like and the parts that I’m willing to leave behind.

I love coming back to a painting that’s left me befuddled with a new perspective and fresh solutions. It’s amazing what we can learn over the course of a single year. For some paintings, there is no solution beyond painting over them, letting their energy reemerge as something entirely new. For others, it can be as simple as adjusting the color palette or shifting the weight of the composition. Maybe it’s just a subtle adjustment to the lighting or anatomy. I love these kinds of challenges and there is no better feeling than finally being able to unearth the answers.

Your paintings don’t have to fit into any style or mold.

We all need recognition and acknowledgment for our hard work. It’s great to sell a painting and it feels good to be seen. But for many artists, the most difficult part is giving ourselves the room we need to discover what WE love about our art.

Before you worry about creating a masterpiece or making a sale, have you given yourself the tools you need to create paintings that you love? Have you spent some time really asking yourself what kind of paintings inspire you? When you see paintings that light you up, what is it about them that grabs you and pulls you in?

The next step is to give yourself permission to explore. This might mean leaving your comfort zone for a bit, learning something new, or trying out some techniques that you’re not very good at. Try painting a combination of subjects or shapes that only make sense to you. This is where innovation comes from!

My challenge to you in this first month of 2024 is to create a painting that doesn’t ask the question “Will they like it?“.

I wish you an inspired and incredible New Year!

Can you paint a painting that gives you what you need?