Has your art ever brought you to tears?
Buckle up, this post is a little longer, but please stick with me!
Maybe your creative piece brought you to tears because you did something you didn't believe you could do and you were thrilled with it? I have a feeling it's more often likely that you made something you believed you could, and it didn't turn out at all the way you wanted it to, and you felt like a failure. I know I certainly have, I did today.
I learn a lot from watching my own videos. When I make the video, I am going over every step again, what went sideways, what set the painting to life, what I fiddled around with for no reason. God's Spirit speaks to me too, sometimes ahead of time, but more often than not, after the painting is done. That is definitely the case with this one.
I spent over an hour on the painting I ripped up. I had an amazing idea, it connected to something that inspired me many years ago, and I was really happy with the sketch. Yay me! I dove in, thinking "This isn't going to even take me as long as normal! This is SO my wheelhouse, I rock!"
Well... I think God had other plans for me and my overconfidence.
Initially, I felt embarrassed and defeated. So, I thought I'd make the best of it and at least add some shock value by tearing it up!
I took a breath, started my second painting and approached it very differently. Another hour later, I had something I was happy with! I made the process video and got to picking the music. That was when the Spirit spoke to me through John Cleese...
I didn't fail, except that I failed to see that play and experimenting is 100% the creative process. When you are being creative, dear reader, you can't fail!
Make beautiful art, make ugly art, make good art, make bad art. Just make art!
The prompt for today was "lake."
Day 89
"Leap"
4×5"
Watercolour
See me rip it up and the painting process video on Instagram