The ugly duckling

I’ve realised that when I start a new painting, sometimes the painting goes through an ugly/unfinished stage/phase as part of the art making/creating process. This sometimes happens near the beginning or about mid way. It can be quite off putting and discouraging but it seems to be a normal/natural thing/step in the painting/creation process. Quite simply, the painting isn’t finished yet so don’t stop nor give up on it. Just keep on painting and see it through to completion.

This ugly/awkward stage can happen at any time really and sometimes it happens more than once. Just have faith in myself and the Universe and trust the process and persevere/continue. Usually, it will improve/evolve and proceed/progress. Well, hopefully and usually it does. [And sometimes it doesn’t and it actually gets worse, in which case I can simply paint over it and/or start again on a new canvas/surface even. Easy.]

Painting takes time (sometimes a lot of time), love, patience and effort. A painting needs time to manifest/appear and reveal itself. When a painting doesn’t work/develop or progress as we had initially planned/hoped for or had in mind, or fast enough, it can be difficult to continue. I’ve found that creating an artwork is a constantly/continuing, changing/evolving, living/breathing process with no clear cookie cut/visible paths/directions or methods/formulas. It’s a blessed gift governed by chance/trial and error, and exploration/experimentation. To learn, solve problems and find answers.

When painting, it’s a good idea/habit to sometimes stop/pause, step back/take a break, and contemplate/stew on the work. Give the painting and myself some breathing space. And then come back to it after a little intermission with clear fresh eyes and headspace/vision.

The mind is an incredibly powerful thing. It can be a beast/enigma and a best friend. It’s able to play tricks (among so many other things) to oneself. Able to find reasons/excuses to complain/procrastinate and discourage or give up. Able to motivate with zest/buzz when there’s a reward e.g. Notice it, be aware of it and on top of it. Grab it and overcome/rise above it when it starts to work against me.

The painting/artwork is looking fine. It’s progressing and developing as it should be. It’s a natural stage of the creation process. Maintain the path and stay hopeful/optimistic and continue. Let the work grow/progress and develop/evolve into something bigger and better. It usually does. Give the work a chance. Don’t abandon it. I’ll be pleasantly surprised and impressed that I’ve stuck around with it and how it works out.

This is a reminder to myself. To stay in the moment and take small regular steps. Don’t look too far into the future or how I want the work to look like when finished already. And don’t be too hard on myself. Progress/improvement and betterment is/requires consistent work/practice, discipline and effort. It is that simple. Enjoy the gift and process, the current moment and every step of the way. And watch the painting grow. Rome was not built in a day. Continue, stay focused and optimistic, keep calm and zen, and carry on.

[I’ve started and stopped and abandoned several paintings and ideas because of this. I sometimes come back to them and try to finish them or I paint over them and start a new painting. Space and storage is very important. Sometimes, painting ideas and visions in our heads look good in our heads and they translate well onto the canvas/surface. Other times, they don’t. It’s a good lesson to keep working on it and persevere. And give it a chance to evolve and develop into that vision and dream work. And the idea is usually good. Just stick with it and follow through with it to completion. Some paintings finish in a few hours or a day, others take much longer. Give a painting and idea a chance to grow and develop in its own unique way. And if you’ve stepped back to give it breathing space and it still doesn’t feel or look quite right, and it’s become a little stale, then you can simply start over/anew.]