I am in MN visiting my family. As you might guess, there is TONS of snow here this year. Because I live in sunny CO, I forget how beautiful the snow can be. The shadows across the snow are a beautiful, blueish color with soft edges and lots of sparkle and texture. They help define the contour of the land and drifts. When you look across the countryside, the colors are muted and it looks like a black and white photo. For the first time in my artist life I want to paint something without much color! The hues of the snow are subtle and take a light touch. I am thinking of trying a painting like this…..of course I brought my brushes and paints along with me. If I decide to do that I will post it here.
Thanks again for reading this blog. I enjoy writing it.
I thought I was painting a VERY unique, creative, colorful watercolor of a school of brilliant tropical fish. I did, but there is more to it! Here’s the entire story.
About 15 years ago my husband and I became certified SCUBA divers. The underwater world is the most colorful and unique place that I have visited. I was entirely captivated and started to paint nothing but tropical fish, beaches, palm trees, flowers…you get the picture.
One day I started a painting of small fish that were swooping through the water in a large school. I drew about a million fish before I started painting them. It was a large effort and I wanted the painting to come out just right because of the investment that I had in it. I put the painting in my trunk to bring it to painting class. I put in in upside down and WOW…..lo and behold….I loved what I saw! The painting took on a whole new feel to it. When I got to class I had everyone vote on the version they liked best and the upside-down version won. I love stuff like this because it is funny and it teaches us not to take ourselves, or our art, too seriously.
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Your past and past behaviors can slow you down time and time again. It is easy to start or continue your negative stories, ‘I can’t talk to people, and I’m too shy. No one will like my work. I don’t have any talent’……and on and on and on. Don’t you get tired of lugging this baggage with you where ever you go? I do!
The good news is you don’t have to carry this baggage any longer. Embrace a ‘beginners mind’. What is this? It is the ability to see each day, each moment, with a fresh, innocent mind…. a beginners mind. It is the ability to approach each day with renewed interest, gratitude and wonder. You might have made mistakes in the past, you might have disappointed others, but it’s over and there’s nothing you can do about it. When I find myself focused on my mistakes I deliberately sit and repeat to myself……let it go, let it go, let it go. This sounds hokey but it works.
Each day, each moment is a new opportunity to be the person you want to be. Don’t let past negative experiences stop you from getting what you want.
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
–Michelangelo
One thing that keeps us from reaching our goals is low self-esteem and negative self-talk. Do any of these statements sound familiar? ‘I’m not a very good artist. That gallery won’t accept my work. I don’t have any skills to share. Who would want to take a class from me? I have been painting for _______years (fill in the number) and I still can’t paint a _________ (fill in the subject). I’ll never be any good.’
In the words of Oddball from Kelly’s Heroes (ok, I’m dating myself), ‘Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?’
Here is what I do to help combat negative waves and boost my self-esteem.
1. Every evening before I go to sleep, I write down 5 things in my journal that I am grateful for. This keeps me in a positive state of mind and reminds me just how fortunate I am.
2. I keep a record of all the goals that I have reached, the tasks that I have accomplished and the risks that I have taken. Doesn’t matter how big or small they are. They add up as the days pass. It is empowering to review this record and keeps me in action mode.
3. I keep company with people that I like, that are FUN, make me laugh and are supportive. Laughter IS the best medicine and there’s nothing like a friend to fall back on when you need a pick-me-up.
4. I get outside and MOVE. Exercise is a wonderful way to refresh the brain and I get some of my best ideas when I am pounding the pavement, riding my bike or walking the dogs.
5. I educate myself. I notice how I am feeling and thinking when I don’t feel motivated and make a note in my journal. This eventually leads to insight and helps me to overcome my pitfalls.
When you feel good about yourself, it is much easier to feel good about what you are painting, sculpting, drawing or sketching and it is easier to take ACTION…..which is what it’s all about.
Although it’s important to be able to visualize yourself at your ultimate art goal, no one gets there overnight. Setting mini-goals helps you to stay focused and enjoy small triumphs along the way. To that end, it’s important to have short-term goals, as well as long-term goals, so you can enjoy smaller triumphs earlier, and you can create a plan to get there. You can always change or modify your goals as you go along. Do some research and find out how to set specific, measurable and attainable goals. I found a lot of good info in Alyson B. Stanfield’s book, ‘I’d Rather be in the Studio’.
This is the first step that I am taking to increase my motivation. Do you think this will help? Let’s hear from you!
1. Consequences – Never use threats. They’ll turn yourself against you and lead to lots of negative self-talk. Making yourself aware of the negative consequences of not getting results can have a big impact on your motivation. If you don’t get your act together, will you ever get what you want?
At times I think that it would be so easy to ‘stop’ all this foolishness with wanting to become a successful artist. Life would be so easy if I didn’t have these aspirations….or would it? I think that life would be boring and that I would have to find something to fill my life and give me satisfaction. But how do you keep up the momentum? Back to the question of self discipline. Today I will apply to the art show that I have been meaning to enter, I will answer all of my emails, and I will update my membership in my art organizations. I will also think about momentum and prepare future blogs about this. Anyone have input about what works for them?
Courage
1. The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate.
2. The ability to do things which one finds frightening.
“Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” -Mark Twain
From Wiktionary
The cowardly lion wanted it, we give metals for it, personal growth and change takes a lot of it! Don’t fool yourself; self-discipline/change can be quite difficult and painful. It is hard to face passions, appetites and moods that derail us from our intentions. Find the courage within to face your struggles. As you begin to experience victories, it will be easier for you to feel better about yourself and reach higher and higher goals.
Well, the struggle continues……. There are some days that I am right on top of ‘it’ and I am in control and doing and accomplishing what I want. Then, there are the other days. After thinking about this, I have realized that it is important to make a commitment to yourself AND realize that slips can occur. When and if these slips happen, don’t throw away all that you have accomplished so far. Caulk it up to experience and get back at it.
So, my commitment to myself is to allow me to be human but not Ms. Perfect. When I fall off the wagon I get back on and start again. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Hi All. I wanted to let you know that I am taking a break from blogging until Jan 2011. Hope all of you have a Happy Holiday! Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
The next step toward developing better self-discipline is being conscious of when you are disciplined and when you are not and what is going on with you at the time. Are you nervous, tired, anxious, telling yourself that your art is no good? All these negative emotions and self-talk get in the way of us doing the best we can to promote our art and reach other goals.
Be aware of when you feel yourself slipping and notice where you are, what you are doing and how you are feeling. This will start to shed some light on the ways that you sabotage yourself. For instance, I know that I eat more junk food when I am tired and I also lose my positive attitude then, too. Ways that I combat this are getting enough sleep (duh!) and starting my day with positive affirmations and goals. I write down 5 things that I am grateful for. This simple exercise keeps me focused and gives me perspective. I heard of this practice from the Secret and Alyson Stanfield of ArtBiz.com. This is one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself especially during this time of thanks.
Building self-discipline take times but as you become more aware of your undisciplined times, you will be able to stop yourself before you completely lose your momentum. Let me know what works for you!