Guilt Trips and Paint Drips
Have you ever spent an entire painting session under a looming sense of failure? Maybe the painting wasn't even going badly, but you just felt like at any moment you were going to place the brush mark that would doom the entire painting?
So...just me then?
When I'm feeling that burgeoning sense of failure, I know my perspective has gotten skewed. I'm worried about my painting's outcome and my enjoyment of the painting process has been lost. Fear of failure causes me to disconnect, while love and freedom creates an emotional connection that can't be imitated and brings my art to life.
I often sense that my fear will be eliminated if I could just know I'm making good art and that I'm on the right track. I want feedback!
There are three reasons that I have asked for critiques of my art:
I want to know if my opinion about my painting is correct. (I've made something I like but I'm not sure I have good reasons for liking it.)
I need direction or I'm looking for assurance that I'm on the right track. (My style is evolving and I'm not sure what to think about it.)
I sense something isn't quite right about my painting but I'm not sure what it is.
Of these three reasons, only one is actually effective. If you are looking for someone to give you permission to believe your work is good, who do you ask? You might not trust your family members who say they love your work, but can you trust an art expert who doesn't know you well enough to know if you are reflected in your painting or not?
If you are looking for direction or assurance, same thing. Who is going to know where you should be going, or what you should focus on next? Instructors can give direction on technique, and certainly I am happy to suggest that an artist focus on improving color theory, value, brush handling, etc. but when it comes to subject matter and style, I can only encourage you to trust yourself.
If your painting isn't quite working, this is when it's a great idea to ask for feedback or critique! But be wise about how you ask, and offer as much detail as you can about your goals and what you are questioning in the work so you can receive constructive feedback that understands your aims.
© Angela Fehr, 'Rushing Waters', watercolor.
Earlier this week I hosted a live critique with members of my Heart-Led Artist Community. My goal for critique sessions is to offer three things; tools to help you evaluate your own work in an informed way, and my understanding of what is working in the painting and worth celebrating, followed by questions to ask or goals to work on in future paintings.
I am passionate about NOT using critiques to shred artist work. What I have experienced is that often a critique of a painting's weaknesses will reveal that the instructor doesn't understand my intentions for the painting, so a percentage of their feedback will disregard what I was hoping the painting would achieve.
I also see that when I have been told what is "wrong" with my painting, I become hyper-aware of my weaknesses, hence the looming cloud of "I'm going to fail" that I mentioned earlier. Painting with a fear of failure limits me in so many ways!
When I look for things to celebrate in my painting, I am creating a foundation of strengths that I can build on. I grow! I choose boldness and faith that I will continue to grow and build on those beautiful things that I've learned how to paint, and make more opportunities for beauty to appear in my art.
Isn't this a life skill also? Gratitude, celebration of achievement, and openness to growth are choices that have colored my life with promise of better things ahead. When it works in life, it works in painting, and vice versa!
Join Me!
All watercolor dabblers and deep-divers are invited to join me for a free live online workshop on February 1st & 2nd. I am so excited to start the year with two days of celebration and learning with this beautiful watercolor medium. Let's grow together and shake off that gloomy failure-cloud!