Whenever someone finds out that you’re an “artist,” the first assumption is that you were “born with talent” and “came by it naturally.” (and a hundred other comments which allude to the same idea). When it came to painting, I can assure you that I had no “gift” bestowed upon me.
Shown here is my first “serious” attempt at Oils more than 20 years ago.
At the time, I didn’t think it was too bad, but I knew I had a very, very long way to go.
Art is a cumulative process. You’ll learn the desired skills through study and practice. The more you invest, the greater the return (and the quicker that return will be).
At the time that I painted this, I had NO IDEA that one day, I would be a full-time artist, teacher and author of an instructional book. Painting literally led me down another road to a new career. I started out painting for my own enjoyment, not in search of a new “job.”
I was told by friends and relatives to “keep your first painting so you can look back on it and see your progress.” Boy, were they right! I am so glad that I’ve hung on to this all these years. Very often, I take this painting to my classes to encourage my students. We all have a good chuckle over it, but it definitely eases the anxiety in the room when they realize that they are no farther off the mark than I was, initially.
I’ve found that art boils down to these 4 essentials:
1. INSPIRATION – obtaining the desire to create
2. PERSPIRATION – putting in the hard work and study
3. DEDICATION – sticking with the “perspiration part†and not giving up
4. SATISFACTION – being confident in your abilities and level of work
From your initial attempt, you can only grow and improve. Don’t be afraid to take that first step!
