Hello beautiful artist,

Let’s face it. As a painter who’s actually painting (and if you’re not painting regularly, click here), you’re going to make some paintings you don’t love.

Especially once you learn to paint like a pro and take bigger risks with your art – exploring and experimenting. (As opposed to painting tightly and trying to get every painting to “turn out”.)

I take a lot of risks with my paintings and sometimes I don’t love how they’re turning out. My motto is: I have to love my paintings. This leaves me with three choices when I’m working:

1. Keep working on my painting until I love it (which involves taking big risks)

2. Accept that the painting is not working out, and put it away to try again later.

3. Or give it up because I’m tired of working on it and ready to move on to something else. (In this case I can gesso the canvas to use it again).

But my students don’t know these things when they’re newer to painting. So what happens is they make a painting that’s not looking great and they judge themselves personally for not being good at this.

Often they think things like “maybe I should just give it up, I don’t have what it takes.”

What’s important to learn here is: Don’t judge yourself by the paintings you make that you don’t love. These paintings have to evolve, and you have to keep working with them until you either love them or decide they’re not working.

What comes out of you and onto canvas initially is NOT a representation of your ability. (read that again).

Here’s a quickie video clip on instagram that shows you just how much I am willing to completely change a painting when I’m working.

Click here to watch

And the reason is, I just don’t want to settle unless I love it.

When you realize just this ONE THING, you can be so much easier on yourself, and enjoy your painting.

I hope this helped — scroll down and leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

With love and creativity,

Kellie