DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Me, in my studio, working on a piece, and contemplating my next move
“You should keep on painting no matter how difficult it is, because this is all part of experience, and the more experience you can have, the better it is - unless it kills you, and then you know you have gone too far.”
~ Alice Neel
What if I said to you: "Deciding is the hard part. The actual process of creating, of painting a picture, is the easy part.”
Say What!?
Let me explain.
You have to decide to paint.
You have to decide what day and time you are going to paint.
You have to decide where you are going to paint.
You have to decide what you are going to paint.
You have to decide what medium and brushes to use.
What color palette are you going to use?
Canvas or paper?
What size?
Smooth or rough surface?
Oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel?
What style?
Then you have to decide not to check your email every fifteen minutes, not to answer the phone, not to be distracted by the kids, the dog, your spouse, the mailman, etc.
You have to decide what color to begin with and what brush to start with.
What comes first, second, third?
What comes next? And next? And next?
Each brushstroke is a decision. Being an artist means being a decision maker. Decisions can be hard to make if you let them be hard.
I look at every decision as an opportunity. This makes deciding fun, exciting and full of promise. If you decide to have fun, then the actual creative process can be easy, effortless and rewarding. Even if the painting is not going well and you are struggling with it.
As an artist you are going to have to make a lot of decisions. Accept this fact and paint anyway. Make all of the decisions that you need to make and have fun in the process. And have fun with the process.
Best,
David
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