Kind Words Can Lift Your Spirits

How often a few simple kind words can lift your spirits.

Nan did this for me yesterday when I was despairing over my latest painting, seeing things I could have done better (or just differently), feeling disappointed to not achieve the exact look I wanted.

I was relating a recent reading on values and color temperature, topics I struggle with. My mind always asks the author, “What do you mean by that?” Unfortunately, with reading material, there’s no immediate answer if he’s not already written it there. But the guilt of not having proper training brings my spirits down.

“Stick to what you intuit, not what others say,” Nan said again… she tells me this occasionally when I fall off the spirited creative horse.

That simple reminder is what I need. The painting is beautiful!

My downfall is when I let my over-thinking brain run rampant and I continually nit-pick and find fault. I worry others will see all the flaws and no one will buy my painting. I start feeling inadequate because I never had proper training and fear other artists will think I’m a fraud.

I know I’m not a fraud! I am an artist! (There are many artists I’ve seen interviewed on “NH Chronicle” or PBS “In the Studio” who say they’re self-taught.) I can’t deny how I work. There’s an unexplainable driving force that seems to take over the moment I stand at the easel. No matter how many how-to or what-to-do-next notes I make, the minute I pick up a pastel, my brain half disengages, and my hand just starts moving.

This doesn’t mean I don’t learn. I pick up tips and pointers, whether in something read or someone offering a suggestion. I think it over, and more often than not, put the advice to good use. It’s exciting.