At every one of my Beautifully Imperfect Painting Retreats, this sentiment is boldly scribbled on a chalkboard somewhere front and center. This mantra is more than a casual remark; it embodies a philosophy that resonates far beyond the retreats. Imagine embracing all of our projects from a position where there is no right or wrong, no bad. In this mindset, creating something becomes an exhilarating journey with no rules where the process itself is the destination, and the ‘mess-ups’ maybe – just maybe – lead us to our best work yet.
Often, when we imagine starting something, that little voice in our heads is ready to tell us it’s not going to work out. For creatives, negative self-talk can be particularly debilitating, often completely stifling our creativity and wonder. I think creative souls are particularly prone to negative self-talk due to the personal nature of our work and the vulnerability involved in sharing our inner world with the outer world. It can be a scary notion, and that little voice waits for just the right moment to whisper, “You’re not good enough.”
Well, that voice? It’s not the boss of us. We need to tell it to bugger off, detach from the outcome, and start the work.
There is no wrong! And when there is no wrong, everything is possible—each brush stroke, every scribbled word, each musical note is not merely constructive but an act of pure, unadulterated joy that strikes at the very core of who we are and, in some cases, awakens us to who we used to be.
No matter the medium, we’re not creating to win; we’re creating to FEEL something. So just go for it. I mean, really, it’s just f***ing paint.
Love,
Laura. xo
#itsjustf***ingpaint #gomakeamess.
