(the sky approved)

why this 45 minute painting means more to me than paintings i've spent 50-100 hours on

as a passionate hobby artist, i've spent countless hours on some of my paintings; focusing on teeny tiny details that probably only matter to me. one extremely detailed piece i’m working on right now will easily take me another 50 hours, i have no doubt. i once used the edge of an electrolyte powder packet to stamp thin strands of hair onto one of my subjects. when that wasn’t enough, i cut off a single paintbrush bristle and brushed on the tiny fly-aways.

there’s a time and place for perfectionism. for some pieces, it fits the vision. i love learning new skills and techniques, applying what i know about color theory, and conveying a message that i know will reach a larger audience because it isn’t too abstract or personal.

but this one took 45ish minutes, no planning, and very little skill. my only goal with this piece was to let color be the subject. the colors i chose were meaningful to me, and deserved to take up space. i didn't use the "right" brush or any technique in particular; i actually didn’t even rinse the brush or put it down. there was a mistake that i could have used a different brush to fix, but instead i just licked my finger and smoothed it out. and somehow - it's currently my favorite painting. i could stare at it for hours.

sometimes less is more and all you need is creativity itself and paint. honest expression and honoring your inspiration is enough to make “good” art. is my art good? YES. my art is good, to me. and it’s good to me 🖤

sometimes we fear criticism from artists with more experience. i’ve felt that fear myself. it used to consume me and it kept me from painting altogether until I was about 25.

that’s why this piece means so much to me. because realistically, anyone could paint something like this. at some point, i let go of unlearned the expectations i had for my art, and was able to enjoy the freedom of creating.

lots of artists who haven’t created anything yet have said to me:

“i wish i could do that.”/ “i suck at art.”/ '“i could never do that.”

which always breaks my heart to hear, because i celebrate new artists harder than anything. why wouldn’t i? there are millions of artists on this planet who will live and die without ever creating something because they don’t believe it would be “good enough.” think about that. think about what art does for the planet, and on an individual level, what it does for the mind & soul. imagine how many people are living without an emotional outlet - because what would (and should) be their outlet is treated like a skill that takes years of practice to learn. imagine what a better place the world might be if there was more art to witness.

i could critique art through the lens of a student, who learned what i’m supposed to like & dislike in high school art classes. i could let someone else decide what is deserving of my approval. but i’ve seen art made by new artists with no prior experience that i loved. their ideas enter this world like a chick cracking its egg open from the inside, never having learned to do it. it’s slow. it’s messy. and just like watching an egg hatch, it makes me happy. and that’s the purpose of art, to make your audience FEEL something.

if you told me my favorite professional artist revealed a new piece, i would be excited to see it.

if you told me you made your first piece, i would drop everything.

so do it. go out and buy a BOGO canvas from Walmart, a pack of shitty assorted off-brand brushes, and a variety pack of tiny tubes of acrylic paint. JUST START. you don’t even NEED an easel. i’ve painted canvases on trash bags on the floor in mediocre lighting. i’ve painted with my hands, with a butter knife, painted onto wooden boards… you don’t need much. just paint and a brain.

if you hate your art at first, it’s ok. that’s normal. you feel something. its art.

keep going. 🖤