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Ria Sharon

pondering creativity, process, and making art

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Yoda was wrong.

January 13, 2016 by riasharon

Sorry little green guy. I love you. But the fate of the world does not rest on whether or not I make good art. For me, trying is… everything!

Case in point… I’ve been dreaming about this little kingfisher for a long time. I was dreaming about how I would paint each color separately and collage them all together. Last weekend, I finally had a chance to do it for real. So here it is.

kingfisher It doesn’t look like I thought it would but I’m posting it anyway because it makes a point, one that I think most of us know but don’t really feel until we feel it ourselves and then it feels crappy (ha!): not every project is going to work out, even if you plan and practice and think through the whole thing.

You can do the very best you are capable of at any time and it might just not be how you want it to be for some reason. It’s okay to try. It was worth it anyway. Because now you know and that piece of insight is invaluable to your growth as an artist.

Thank you to everyone who liked it and said it was beautiful and it’s not that I don’t think it is. The whole thing — the process, the product — just doesn’t light me up as much as thinking about it did. That’s my litmus test for whether I should do it again — not so much if other people liked it but if I want to spend my time creating another and another and another using that same technique.

The experience reinforced what I do know about myself, that I am a learn-by-doing person. If I didn’t sit down and actually make this piece, it would have stayed in my “theoretical” column, calling to me until I did it. Now I can put that one aside and move on to the next thing that I’ve been curious and dreaming about.

So if you’re like me, you can take the pressure off. If there’s something that you’re curious about but are afraid because it might not work out the way you want, just do try it already.

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Filed Under: process

A little about me

I have an undergraduate degree in art. By day, I work in higher ed and in my free time I'm currently putting myself through DIY grad school.

I teach classes on creativity and inspiration on Skillshare. I occasionally share my original paintings on Etsy and fine art prints on Minted. I've also been known to make puppy portraits.

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