It’s hard to paint like a child

This is continuing on from last week‘s post..same art journal page, but this is after I decided to add color to it. I don’t usually talk about paintings I don’t like, but I’m going to make an exception for this one. I don’t like it. I’m not judging the painting by the outcome, and how it looks, but rather, how I felt as I was painting it.  I’m going to explain what happened because it might be helpful to someone struggling to paint. 

It was my first time painting after taking some time off, and I felt tight and rigid..in my thoughts, and the way I was painting. I was gripping the paint brush, and being highly critical of every brush stroke I made. I was all up in my head, and it made what could have been a lovely experience difficult. 

If I create from the heart,
nearly everything works;
if from the head,
almost nothing.

Marc Chagall

I was able to snap out of my serious mood, if only for a few minutes, and get back into the flow by watching a video by Sandi Hester. She always makes me laugh, and in the video I watched, she was talking about how hard it is to paint like a child. I started nodding my head like a bobble doll at the screen. It was as if she was speaking directly to me. 

Our adult minds tend to be very serious, and to let go and play like a child requires finding that kid-like place buried deep inside. 

I definitely recommend watching Sandi if you can’t quite get there on your own because once I laughed a few times at her silly antics, and watched her paint, I was ready to try again.

Putting my adult brain on pause, I reached for my art journal, and painted a silly character. Laaaaa! I felt like singing. The paint started to flow easily off my brush once my brain eased up on me. What a difference between the two experiences. It’s no wonder I like the second painting better than this one. The process…it’s all about how much you’re enjoying the process. 

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

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