CREATIVITY COACHING – SESSION 2: OVERCOMING FEAR
THERE IS ONE SURE WAY TO FIND YOUR ARTISTIC VOICE, AND THAT IS TO FACE FEAR HEAD-ON!
Fear of failure never goes away entirely, but after a few successful fear-fights under your belt – especially the ones that leave you giddy with joy because you discovered something profoundly brilliant – you begin to develop your fear-fighting muscles. These muscles will help you in many aspects of life – not just in your art.
IF YOU MISSED SESSION 1, BE SURE CHECK IT OUT BEFORE YOU CONTINUE…
If you took part in Creativity Coaching Session 1, you should have one or more paintings that you have started.
It’s now time to take your Session 1 piece (or pieces) a step further, and if you’re at all like me, you’re a bit afraid to do anything to them.
Perhaps there are parts you like – and you don’t want to wreck. Or perhaps they are so horrible you can hardly look at them.
The latter is an easier place to start, but I’m guessing that there is at least one section, no matter how small, that you are afraid to mess up.
A FEW TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP(S)
Where do you start?
As your coach, I would suggest that you start with the first idea that comes to you.
Don’t over-analyze. When you look at the piece(s) in front of you, try to listen to your inner voice.
All you need to decide on is the next step: eg. I think I should put some more white in that area, or cover up that area because it’s so ugly, or enhance the (blue or green or red) a bit.
Once you have that ONE idea, act on it and don’t worry about knowing what to do next.
MATERIALS: YOUR SESSION 1 PAINTING(S)
Paint:
What colour or colours do you feel like adding to your piece? Don’t be afraid of wasting a bit of paint. This journey is important and worthwhile – I promise! Put a bit of any colour you feel inspired to use on your palette.
Tools:
Brush or palette knife (or any other mark-making tool that you feel like using). A stick? Your fingers? (if so, please wear gloves)
NOW YOU’RE READY TO DIVE IN AND CONQUER YOUR FEAR!
Take a deep breath…….let it out slowly. Do this 3 more times.
Then MAKE YOUR MARK (or marks).
Step back once you have applied some paint, and wait for the next idea to come.
Act on it (if it involves a different colour, put whatever you need on your palette and get to work).
Repeat the above steps until you have no more ideas about what to do.
ONCE YOU RUN OUT OF IDEAS OF WHAT TO DO NEXT, STOP.
Put the painting aside, and if you have more time to paint, start another painting in the same fashion that you started your Step 1 piece(s).
Or if you started more than one piece in Step 1, you can move to Step 2 on one or more of those pieces.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
It’s time to check in and see how you’re feeling about this process so far. Don’t be surprised or dismayed if you don’t like your paintings. Trust me when I say that you will learn more as an artist from the paintings that fail than from the ones that succeed.
This process is not easy, and the results are not always going to be beautiful right away, but if you trust the process and allow yourself to take risks, you will find that your inner voice will develop and emerge. These exercises are the same ones I have used in my own studio and art practice. I continue to practice them because they work.
The exercises are not for the faint of heart, but rather they are for those of us that have an unquenchable thirst to be genuine, unique and original in expressing our artistic voice.
Pictures of my Session 2 paintings:
After Session 2 on Painting 1 & 2 (both started in Session 1)
After Session 2 on Painting 3 & 4 (both started in Session 1)
Step 2 all 4 paintings started in Step 1.