This week is a bit weird to reflect on, since I started this week about 3 weeks ago, and have finally finished my paintings.
Elli is not wrong about how important it is to maintain a pace, rhythm, habit and commitment to practice.
Getting back into the studio- after just one week off has been difficult.
It’s taken me a whole week to just warm up to getting back in the studio and the full swing of things.
I finally finished these three little paintings. They are a little divergent from my style in small ways.
I always end up experimenting with my small pieces, which is good, I guess that’s how I progress my style, but also I wonder if it dilutes my voice and style, that they aren’t consistent enough yet.
I did find that before I took the break I was really gaining confidence and speed in my process, that repeating the same steps with each painting really helped me to move faster through the painting, have confidence that it will come out successfully, and made me feel like “Yeah I really do know what I’m doing”. But now that I’ve had a break, coming back to the canvas, I find myself procrastinating and fretting about whether I can pull off my next painting.
And as one of my mentors pointed out - that’s actually a form of perfectionism.
Not starting a painting because you don’t know how it will end up or if you can top your last painting. I find if I step out of the flow of constantly creating I seize up a bit and it becomes difficult to get back in.
