Do not fear mistakes

Perfectionism has haunted my art all my life.  At the core of perfectionism is fear of failure, rejection, and not measuring up to someone else’s expectations.  Typical signs of these fears, all of which I have experienced, are:

• Before you can start a piece, you think you need more—more supplies, more studio space, more fully-formed ideas, even more practice.  You feel this will give you a better chance to succeed, but it’s just an excuse to not begin. Try creating a ritual before you start your artwork.  Be prepared with a clean work area before you start, meditate for 5 minutes, just start painting or drawing and your mind will follow.  
• You never feel that your piece is finished and there’s one more thing to change.  Have you ever made so many changes you’ve ruined a piece?  Begin accepting where you are with a piece, love your work even if it’s not where you want it to be.
• You constantly have creative block, leaving a blank canvas for days.  Try practicing mindfulness to accept challenges, lower your expectations of yourself.  You don’t have to create a masterpiece every time—or even once!  Enjoy your work.
• You have too many ideas and can’t focus!  Write down ideas and prioritize them. Start a second piece before you finish a current one—change can refresh you!
• You long to produce perfect pieces tied to an impossible standard or fear that it’s not good enough to present to customers.  Ask yourself if the work is as bad as your anxiety makes it seem. What is the worst scenario if it’s out in the world and doesn’t sell?  What do you gain if you do nothing?
• You dwell on past failures, like a bad critique or piece that never sold.  Remember, true creativity comes from where anything is possible.  Try something else.  Learn, improve and move on.  Be proud of what accomplishment you’ve made, no matter how small.  Just putting your work out there is an accomplishment!
• You compare yourself to other artists.  Everyone is at a different stage of their career.  Admire those artists’ talent without jealousy or anxiety.  What can you learn from them and compare in a positive way?
• You never show your works in progress to others.  Showing your process helps you connect to other people about chances you are taking, details you want them to see, even the messiness of it all.  And it helps people understand your final work.
• You are losing your motivation.  But being perfect is exhausting!  Don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun when you can!

Remember, there are no mistakes!  Hope you are all finding joy and solace with your artwork.  Looking forward to seeing some amazing artwork at our monthly meeting!

Diann Klink – President