Building Habits that make Painting Daily Automatic

"Queen of Diamonds"  20 x 20 mixed media on canvas

If your paintings could talk, what would they say?  I think mine would want me to set them free!  They would want me to let loose instead of trying to control every move. We’ve all been taught to think carefully before we make a brush stroke and to know what we’re going to do before it happens. But that creates anxiety doesn’t it? If you’re like me my hand begins to shake and I stress over “getting it right.”

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” Jon Barrie, author of Peter Pan from Jan. 2015 Woman’s Day.

Those doubts tighten your muscles, the flow of paint, and the release of energy that makes your composition exciting. Having a well thought out plan is one thing. Allowing spontaneity to occur and to alter your initial concept is when the “magic” happens.

“A watched pot never boils.” When you keep too tight a reign on every stroke, every composition, or you over analyze your progress, you may miss out on something enchanting and remarkable. Let it happen! Just do it.

"Cafe' Costa Rica" 20 x 20 acrylic on canvas

If your paints could talk, what would they say? Mine would be angry with the disorganized mess, with the damaged caps from using a nut cracker to get them off, and the crimped twisted tubes, etc. A neat freak I’m not! I get so caught up in painting I sometimes forget that a neater pallet and a more organized paint box would actually make my job easier.

Recently I subscribed to Eric Maisel’s “Sunday Newsletter: Emotional Healing”. With my free subscription, Eric had a free gift: “The 97 Best Creativity Tips Ever” by Eric Maisel, 2011 all rights reserved.

I’m going to share with you the first 10 tips on Eric’s list.

1.  Be consistent in showing up. Getting to your creative work only once in a while won’t keep it alive. Make “routine” and “regularity” sacred words!

2.  Who knows how many artists fail because the light that shines through them is refracted in a thousand directions and not concentrated in a single beam? Pick projects and complete them! It is not really possible to work on a thousand things at once.

3.  One of the best ways to help yourself create every day is to craft a starting ritual that you begin to use regularly and routinely. When your ritual becomes habitual you will find yourself moving effortlessly from not creating to creating.

4.  Make the following pledge: “I will do some creative work every day, if only for fifteen or twenty minutes.” Honor your pledge for the next two weeks and spend fourteen consecutive days creating.

5.  Looking for only the perfect time to create? Forget about it! You are always in the middle of something so it is right in the middle of things that your creating must also happen.

6.  Even small amounts of time can be used for creating. Do you make use of fifteen minutes here and twenty minutes there?

7.  Are you good at capturing your own creative thoughts? Or do you let them slip away by telling yourself that they weren’t really all that good or all that important? Stop that! Start right now doing a better job of capturing and recording your ideas.

8.  You must reckon with your own character. Creativity requires curiosity. Are you curious enough? Creativity requires risk-taking. Are you willing to risk? Creativity requires energy. Can you marshal and unleash your energy? Creativity requires patience. Have you cultivated that quality? Turn yourself into the artist you need to be!

9.  Telling our truth can bring us pain and get us into trouble, but worse pain and worse trouble await us if we keep silent. Tell your truth—carefully, artfully, and courageously!

10.  Say yes to your creative work! Avoid maybe like the plague. Maybe is a state that takes you right to the edge of meaninglessness. Maybe plays to your weaknesses, your anxieties, and your doubts. Maybe frustrates you and disappoints you. Avoid the maybe trap!

Happy Helpers Ring in the Holidays (Success Tips for Team Leaders)

Non-profits and small businesses often depend on volunteers to “make the Season bright.” You may get a group of happy, good-hearted people who willingly and freely give of their time; but sometimes you end up with a bad apple or two. When that happens, it takes skill and patience in order to mend fences and hurt feelings

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No one likes to be told that their work is deficient or that they are too slow, especially when they’re getting paid zilch! Appreciation and tact go a long way. It seems that in every group, there’s a “know it all;” a person who understands exactly “how things should be done” and when.

The leader (that’s you) must know how to keep that person on task and divert attention when necessary to keep things running smoothly. Encouraging cooperation, and making a tense atmosphere fun is all part of a team leader’s job description.

(Wolf in Sheep's Clothing)

When volunteers get hot under the collar and sharp words start flying, a wise leader knows when to insert himself or herself to stop trouble before it happens. Taking a busybody aside and thanking them for their insight can allay hurt feelings. When they sense that you’re aware of their keen observation skills, you can remind them that volunteers are here, not because they have to be, but because they want to serve. Their efforts should always be welcomed and acknowledged.

Many of us hire helpers during the busy holidays to get our projects out the door on time. These assistants may be friends, strangers, or family members who work for free. The same rules apply, perhaps even more so, when you’re close to the staff. A pleasant working atmosphere removes the tension between family members who are caught between rigid deadlines and their own hectic lives.

Put a group of people in a room, give them work to do, and there’s bound to be petty squabbles. In the beginning, allow people to work out their own rhythms and procedures. Insert yourself only if the “rage” level rises. Staying ahead of problems and anticipating needs requires tact and gut instinct. 

If you are prepared in advance by having your project organized and well defined, there will be fewer mistakes and less resentment. Having a happy and successful holiday depends entirely on what you bring to the table in the way of vision, preparation and leadership.

"Serena Shines" 11 x 14 Pastel matted and ready for framing

Adding Zing to Your Composition

(Alert; horizontal and vertical lines) "Anhinga in Paradise" 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas

Since the composition of an artwork is critical to the overall success of a painting, I’m adding a few more helpful tips. There are essentially three basic types of composition; each creating a different effect: Sedate, Alert, and Dynamic. Your choice will determine how your audience feels when they view your painting.

Sedate compositions focus on horizontal planes and lines; typical of pastoral scenes and calm seas. This type of composition lends a certain peace and stillness to the composition

(Sedate; horizontal lines) "Seashells by the Seashore" acrylic on panel 8 x 10

.Alert compositions arouse our emotions and stimulate energy through predominantly vertical lines amidst horizontal planes. Waves on a wild sea, for instance create a tremendous amount of energy contrasting with the receding smooth outflow of water. Mountains erupting from horizontal planes of farmland create push and pull contrast and energy.

(Alert; diagonal, vertical lines) "Prayer Circles" 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas

Dynamic compositions go a step further, creating interest, unease, and energy through diagonal lines and shapes. This can be done in many ways, including bending sails in the wind, making a surreal painting of leaning buildings, or simply bending grasses and flowers heavy with blooms.

(Dynamic diagonal lines and imposing shapes) "India Rising -- the Lost" 18 x 24 mixed media

Tips for enhancing the integrity of your painting:

Preserve the authenticity of your brush strokes. When applying paint: put it down, leave it be. Deliberate brush strokes give your painting a feeling of authority and professionalism.

Don’t skimp on paint. Beginners often paint timidly; applying too little paint until there are few indications that the paint was applied with a brush at all. Use enough paint so that your painting benefits from the full color and light of the pigment used. 

(Horizontal, vertical, & diagonal lines) "An Open Book" 16 x 20 mixed media SOLD (prints available)

Style determines color and line preferences and how you apply paint. Some artists like a smooth finish, especially on portraits. Others like to see color separation and brush work. The more you work with different types of paint and techniques; you’ll find the method that suits your style and taste.