“It’s simple really, to paint is to trust. To believe in our instincts; to become.”
Squeak Carnwath, Artist

Next Day Momentum

You have a painting in progress. You have worked on it today and it is time to get back to real life.

The next day you head back into the studio to continue working on this painting. But you have trouble getting started. You are having difficulty getting back in the groove. You don’t know where you left off, where to continue or where to even begin.

Does this sound like you? It used to be me.

I used to work on a painting, stop for the day, and then come back to it the next day and just stare at it wondering what to do next.

Every new day in the studio was a battle to regain the momentum from the previous day. It might take me an hour to get going again. What a waste of precious time.

Here is how I solved this issue for myself. If you have the same problem, hopefully this will help you too.

I try and leave my painting with some things that I know I want to do next. On purpose. I quit working on the painting a little earlier than I might want to. I make a short list of between 3 and 5 things that I know that I want to do next. While it is fresh in my mind. And, I save them for tomorrow.

So, when I go into the studio the next day, I know exactly what to start doing. I can pick up exactly where I left off the day before.

The momentum is already there and there is no wasted time at the beginning.

If you already do something like this, how does it work for you? If you have a better idea, please share it with me. If you are not doing something like this, try it and let me know how it goes.

Best,

David

[COMING SOON: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA]