Practice makes...
Perfect?
Really?
I have been a perfectionist all my life. The funny thing about being a perfectionist is that you don't always realise that you are in fact a perfectionist. Because, really you just feel like you're a big ol' fat failure. All the time.
Every craft or art I took up looked a bit messy and amateurish... mainly because I had never done said activity before. It didn't look like a professional made it, therefore I was clearly a giant failure. Fearing failure above shark attacks, and blood draws (eeeep!) had me locked into never trying anything new... just in case I wasn't amazing. And if I wasn't amazing on the first try, I was a BIG FAT FAILURE.
So I was always scared to try new things. I had to really be drawn to it. The desire to try something with the risk of failing had to be STRONG! Or perhaps I just needed to be tired enough to not care...
Enter my first watercolour class. I started it on a whim. I was tired.
This "class" was really more "painting or drawing in the same space as an artist" but it was a perfect way for me to learn. Before every class and every attempt at painting something, I had to literally shake out the fear of failure. I had to remind myself "it's only paper, if it's terrible I can throw it away!" and a gentle reminder that making a terrible painting doesn't make me a terrible person! And this began my slow and steady steps towards TRYING things, even if I can not reach professional levels of awesomeness on my first attempt.
I am still learning the joy of trying and messing up. Of making amateurish first attempts. My responses to my hyper-critical inner meanie if much more balanced.
But painting, especially with watercolour, has taught me a little bit about self acceptance, extending grace, and about slow progress.
So now, when I teach art I am always reminding my students, and regularly myself, that ya gotta make a lotta bad art before you can make a lotta good art. And making bad art doesn't make you a bad person. Or a big fat failure. It just makes you a person.
Practice makes perfect... or at least it makes better...
(this photo is of my first art piece I ever had in an exhibition... I loved the piece, but reviews were... not good!)
Really?
I have been a perfectionist all my life. The funny thing about being a perfectionist is that you don't always realise that you are in fact a perfectionist. Because, really you just feel like you're a big ol' fat failure. All the time.
Every craft or art I took up looked a bit messy and amateurish... mainly because I had never done said activity before. It didn't look like a professional made it, therefore I was clearly a giant failure. Fearing failure above shark attacks, and blood draws (eeeep!) had me locked into never trying anything new... just in case I wasn't amazing. And if I wasn't amazing on the first try, I was a BIG FAT FAILURE.
So I was always scared to try new things. I had to really be drawn to it. The desire to try something with the risk of failing had to be STRONG! Or perhaps I just needed to be tired enough to not care...
Enter my first watercolour class. I started it on a whim. I was tired.
This "class" was really more "painting or drawing in the same space as an artist" but it was a perfect way for me to learn. Before every class and every attempt at painting something, I had to literally shake out the fear of failure. I had to remind myself "it's only paper, if it's terrible I can throw it away!" and a gentle reminder that making a terrible painting doesn't make me a terrible person! And this began my slow and steady steps towards TRYING things, even if I can not reach professional levels of awesomeness on my first attempt.
I am still learning the joy of trying and messing up. Of making amateurish first attempts. My responses to my hyper-critical inner meanie if much more balanced.
But painting, especially with watercolour, has taught me a little bit about self acceptance, extending grace, and about slow progress.
So now, when I teach art I am always reminding my students, and regularly myself, that ya gotta make a lotta bad art before you can make a lotta good art. And making bad art doesn't make you a bad person. Or a big fat failure. It just makes you a person.
Practice makes perfect... or at least it makes better...
(this photo is of my first art piece I ever had in an exhibition... I loved the piece, but reviews were... not good!)
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