Practice Makes Perfect

Vincent Van Gogh once said, "As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward." These words resonate deeply with me as I go along my artistic life.

On a daily basis, it may seem we are not growing fast enough or seeing significant change with the frustrations we may experience at times in the studio. We want to paint GREAT paintings right now, not 5 years from now.

Unfortunately, we can’t perfection overnight—it's about constant growth though. Every painting, whether it feels like a success or not, is part of that journey and when we dedicate ourselves to practice, we get closer to growing our skill set, gaining confidence with each stroke.

I want to encourage you and, remind myself, that every stroke, every layer of paint, counts and it’s all part of the process. Whether it’s a quick sketch or a large involved painting, each moment spent creating is a step toward to discover who we are as artists and to improve our skills.

I often like to have a focus of learning for each painting, like paying more attention to the design aspect or the brushwork, or whatever it is I feel I want to improve. I write  whatever the goal is for that painting session on a sticky note, put it on the easel and then get started. It often doesn’t feel like I’m doing too much but over time, I can see how this has helped me improve my skills. These photos show different notes-to-self I’ve had in front of me at different times. May I suggest you go grab some sticky notes, and get start with a small task?   

What will you choose to focus on today? One thing at a time. I say we embrace the small steps, keep going and enjoy the growth along the way!