IS FEAR KEEPING YOU FROM CREATING?
Sketchbook drawing. I am always playing around and trying stuff. Which helps keep fear at bay. © 2017 David Limrite
“If only someone else could paint what I see it would be marvelous, because then I could stop painting for good.”
Alberto Giacometti, Artist
Is Fear Keeping You From Creating?
Fear sometimes keeps me out of the studio.
I encounter fear whenever I come back to art making after having not painted for awhile.
I feel that my first attempts have to be perfect.
That is a lot of pressure to put on oneself.
Who would want to go into the studio with that paralyzing thought swirling around in their head? As I have talked about many times, for me, “Action Quiets Fear.” It is more important for me to just begin, get involved, get back into the rhythms of creating and, once again, engage in the process and not worry about the end result. Not worry about the product.
“Process Not Product.” Right?
Fear also comes up for me whenever I get a new idea that I want to try.
Is it really a good idea worth pursuing? Will it work? Or will I just be wasting my time, energy and efforts? And, what if I try it and it looks awful?
This is fear of the unknown.
Every idea deserves a chance to be something, and the only way I will know if it is a good idea, or not, is to give it a try. It could be the best idea I have ever had. Who knows?
Attempting a new technique or style can be frustrating and disappointing and will keep me out of the studio. I am afraid when I try new things. But learning can be fun, too. Things cannot be both new and perfect at the same time. My love for the process often overpowers my fear of learning something new.
Every once in awhile, I get caught up in the fear of making something that I hope others will like.
This feeling allows fear to take hold and most certainly dooms the painting and destroys my experience of creating it. I try to make my work for me first and foremost. If I can create things that I like, then I know that they will find their appreciative audience.
This brings up the fear of rejection.
I have pretty much handled this fear for myself; however, I know many artists who allow fear of rejection to keep them out of their studio. Unfortunately, rejection is a reality for all artists. Rejection exists and there is nothing we can do about it. So, know that rejection exists, and will rear its ugly head every once in awhile, and create anyway. Make your work for you and love the process of creating. Remember, it is your work that gets rejected, not you. Learning to separate from your creations can be very helpful.
The antidote for most of my fears is taking action. Working. Creating. Being involved in the process.
Creating is way better than not creating. Any day. Regardless of the outcome.
Best,
David
[ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS]
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MIXED MEDIA FIGURE DRAWING & PAINTING
Santa Monica: December 7, Thursday (1 Space Available)
Santa Monica: December 8, Friday (3 Spaces Available)
Atascadero (SLO): January 26, Friday, 26 (1 Space Available)
Atascadero (SLO):Saturday, January 27 (Sold Out & Wait Listing)
10am - 4pm
Explore contemporary figure drawing, painting and mixed media using graphite, charcoal, pastel, acrylic, and collage. Experiment with different approaches for developing the human form such as realism, expressionism and abstraction. Emphasis is placed on observation, structure, line quality, volume, composition, technique, experimentation, and originality. Discussions, art historical examples, and demonstration are all a part of the curriculum.
Students work from a model and respond and manipulate their chosen mediums to arrive at a dynamic and unique solution. The focus is on... + CLICK FOR MORE.