Overcoming Resistance with a new painting
It’s been a few months since I’ve picked up my brushes, so I decided it was time for a new session. As always after such a long break, I could feel the Resistance creeping in, a background voice in my head whispering all the reasons why I shouldn’t bother setting up my painting desk:
You suck at it… What’s the point on even trying?
The voices of Doubt
Don’t waste the cotton paper; it’s too expensive.
OK, let’s paint, but how about watching three hours of tutorials, first?
(and so on and so forth…)
It’s funny how our minds work against us, especially when it comes to the things we crave, the things that should bring us joy and fulfillment.
It’s usually a matter of expectations. We become too focused on the outcome, beating ourselves up over our self-imposed standards. We become so afraid to even begin that we open the door wide for doubt and fear of failure to creep in.
In these cases, what works for me is easing my way through by dialing down my expectations and lowering the entry point.
I tell myself that it’s only a practice session, and I can discard the result if it doesn’t turn out the way I want. I picked a reference photo from the collection I’ve built up on my phone over the years, and I began scribbling pencil lines on the back of one of my failed paintings.
It worked like magic! As always, once I started, I remembered everything: how to lay down the initial wash, the middle values, and finally, the shadows, before finishing with white gouache highlights. I only had to overcome my initial resistance to get into the flow and get hooked again in the process.
What’s your strategy for when you feel stuck and overwhelmed? If you have any tips, please share them with us in the comments section below.
