The results – 5 minute painting day 30

Work in progress
5 minute painting
day 30
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 166
Painted and written on Dec 30, 2017

My thoughts on the month of December, as the days are winding down..

I started this 5 minute painting a day experiment with others in mind, not thinking I was going to learn anything from it myself (was I ever wrong about that!). I wanted to prove that it’s possible to paint every day, even if you’re busy working 9 to 5. I found out, yes, it definitely can be done. As someone who works anywhere from 12 to 16 hours daily, I found time to squeeze in 5 minutes.

The trick is to stop complaining (because it’s taking up precious time), make a commitment, show up, and get to work. I realize it was probably easier for me to do this because I work in my studio, and not outside the house somewhere. Still, I do believe it can be achieved if you set your mind to it. No one will ever convince me otherwise. We all have 5 minutes a day that we’re wasting somewhere that could be put to better use.

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Now on a more personal level..

I was painting larger than I normally do this month (because if you’re going to challenge yourself might as well go big), and some days I couldn’t believe how much my painting changed in just 5 measly minutes. I’d think WOW! I can’t believe I did all that in so little time. Some of you noticed, also. 

With the timer ticking, it was as if I became a different artist. I noticed I moved much faster than I normally do, and with precise, deliberate strokes of the knife or brush. This doesn’t happen if I have the whole day splayed out in front of me to paint. If I think I have all the time in the world then I need all that time, plus more. 

Landscape oil painting
Available here

My final and biggest takeaway from the 5 minute painting is this..it has forever changed the way I think about the daily painting project. By only painting 5 minutes a day, I realized that I’ve been spending too much time and energy on this project. I now know I need to lighten up, stop taking it so seriously, and go easier on myself. No more demanding I finish a painting a day, as I did for 120 days prior to this. I don’t want to go through my days feeling overworked, and exhausted all the time. 

One more day, and then the timer gets put away. I’m looking forward to the new theme for January.