Hello creative friends!
Today I thought I would post a few of my latest watercolor creations. I wanted to try out some new materials and just have some fun, but what to paint???
Enter “Mo” my studio gnome…
Mo is a daily inspiration to me.
I love his unkept salt and pepper beard and the perfect roundness of his nose.
Though his drab-colored clothing is practical and basic, and his shoes are different sizes and a bit wonky looking, his stocking cap speaks volumes about his whimsical nature.
In short, I can’t help but chuckle when I see him there waiting on my studio desk.
But what does Mo have to do with letting go???
Well, seeing Mo reminds me not to take myself so seriously—to let go of what others think of me and much of what I think about myself.
And since I’m a pretty serious person, I need this reminder on almost a daily basis!
Artistically speaking, being able to let go gives me permission to play and experiment.
In short, it gives me permission to ask, “What if….?” while I’m creating.
That playful attitude helps the artist in me to try new techniques, mediums, supplies, and application methods, which in turn encourages my overall artistic growth.
Even if I don’t end up liking what I create, it’s time well spent to help me know not to head in that particular direction!
Without the ability to let go, we lose the chance to grab onto something new or different.
So why is it sometimes so hard to let go in life and in our artistic process?
Fear can be a huge driver in much of this, at least for me.
Unfortunately, fear can come from any direction and take many forms: fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of criticism, fear of losing control, fear of comparison, etc.
How do we combat fear?
By faith in practice and by practicing our faith!
You don’t have to be an artist for long (or a human being, for that matter) to know that you will create lots of stinkers and make lots of mistakes.
But you can learn to let go of the failure and keep moving forward, and gradually you learn not to make the same mistakes.
I will leave you with a quote by one of my favorite artists of today, John MacDonald.
“Creativity and learning flourish when we’re on our edge, out of our comfort zone and out of our spheres of knowledge. We can only learn when we’re in the unknown. But the unknown is often terrifying…. When we’re filled with the joy of playing, there’s no room for fear. It is in the state of play that we learn the truth about fear and discover that we can live with it and manage it. And as we become more accustomed to playing fearlessly, we can relax, open up, and begin working fearlessly.”
John MacDonald, Artist
So begin a practice of letting go my friends.
Show yourself and others grace.
‘Till next time,
~R
Nesting Bird Creations 
Such a cute gnome! (Gnomes are just cute in general.) I love the painting you did of Mo!
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Thank you Allison. He was fun to capture!
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Your gnome is adorable. you’re so talented!
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Thank you Brooke! You are very kind….
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Good post and thank you. This year my word is greatness. I want to create from a place of greatness. I was born creative imaginative so I should just pick up the brush and paint. I go back to to well I have been bloggng for a while but it’s been a few years since I fully committed to flowers. I am obsessed with painting them expressively. I pay attention to nature and paint from that perspective oo. This feels really close to the real me. The doubt comes in when I look at my followers and compare. That is a ba place to be. Thank you for writing this post and reminding me to keep going.
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Mireya—thank you and you’re welcome! 🙂
It sounds like you are already on the journey by giving yourself permission to be creative in a number of ways. It’s natural to have doubts and fears along the way—that’s what makes us human. But keeping a “what if?” attitude helps keep you learning and on a playful and less self-critical path.
So instead of saying “My painting sucks. It’s no good compared to this person’s painting of the same subject”, say “Hmmm…I like the value structure (or other specific positive self-critique) of my painting , but I would like the edges to be more varied so that there is a greater sense of depth or atmosphere. Now, I’m going to learn how to do that.”
That type of thinking keeps you moving forward with purpose and it helps you develop your artistic voice.
There is only one Mireya who sees flowers like you do.
So keep going!!!
~R
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Wow thank you for this perspective. I believe in my ideas and the doubt comes from outside forces. I will definately keep creating. Thank you.
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