It's part of trying to learn to embrace the fear of failure. The more I have come to accept that failure is not just okay, but it is a good thing, and a necessary part of growth, the more fun my life has become. And the more fun painting has become. It's about taking risks.
I spent a lot of time trying to perfect my painting skills, make things look like things. But I wasn't enjoying it. In art there is no way to follow a script, a lesson plan, do all the right things, take all the right classes and ensure success. Oh wait! that's true of life isn't it? Hmmm.
Anyway, when I started teaching, and painting in front of others, something shifted in me. You can't do those things without accepting that things might go right, and they might not. There is risk. My ego fought that pretty hard, still does! The first few failures were pretty devastating. But I just kept getting back up, dusting myself off, and putting it out there again.
Why? I tell myself it is because I want to share and encourage others to give it a try. And that is true. But it's more than that. I want to discover what is on the other side of the fear. What doors in myself can I open up, what experiences of connection to the flow of life can I have.
What is out there in the place between the obviously possible and the obviously impossible?
Ah, but I wax philosophical. Here are some recent Facebook Live Painting Session paintings.
You can join me every Tuesday at 1:00 Pacific time. Or stop by at your leisure and watch the recorded sessions.
https://www.facebook.com/karenilariart/live_videos/
