Five Steps in overcoming your fears of succeeding as an artist
It’s hard to move forward as an artist when you have that negative voice in your head telling you your not good enough to succeed and you think that everyone else’s work is better than yours. You have to move past that negative self talk. Here’s how:
Look at the positive
Your work stands as a testament to your hard work and dedication. You went through a process of thought to create your artwork and its completion and your satisfaction of the end result is what is important. Look at what you have achieved. Be grateful for reaching your goal.
Analyze your thoughts
There are many different interpretations of a subject. You might feel that someone else’s execution of a theme or topic is better than yours. Ask yourself, why? What is it you like about that other artist’s work. Learn from that and apply it to your next painting. Someone else may easily prefer yours. It really is a matter of personal taste and opinion.
Be persistent
With each painting that you complete, you gain a better understanding of your technique and your interpretation of the subject and what you hope to achieve with that piece. If you aren’t happy with the piece, start over, change it, make it better. Walk away from it for a while, however long it takes. I once left a painting for 3 years and then picked up my brush and finished it. It takes discipline but what a wonderful feeling of pride and accomplishment you get when you finish it and are happy with the result!
Believe in yourself – We tend to be our own worst critic. It can be a good thing when it spurs you on to do better, but excessive self-criticism can work against you. Turn that voice into a positive and encouraging one. You have to believe in your self and what you are capable of. Ask yourself why you are painting, what do you hope to achieve?
Think differently
There are a million ways to draw a flower, or anything. No right or wrong. Your interpretation is yours and unique and interesting for that reason. That is what makes creativity so special. It’s personal. It’s your expression.
Summer Sunset over Dock
The sun was setting over the dock and cast a warm orange glow over everything.24″ x 48″ – SOLD We’ve spent countless evenings sitting on the dock at my brother and sister- in-law’s cottage on Dunlop Lake watching the sun go down. These summer nights seem so endless. But here in northern Ontario, our summers are short and we’ve come to appreciate these warm evenings long after they have...
read moreCottage Garden
There are a ton of beautiful wildflowers growing around the cottage, and in the mix are some hardy ones we have transplanted over the years from our home gardens. These spectacular irises and daylilies are among them. Purple IrisesIrises and dayliliesYelLow dayliliesEach acrylic painting in this triptych is 6″ x 6″ and comes framed in a black shadow box. Cost: $300 for the set 6″ x 6″ framed acrylic painting set This trio will cheer up any wall in your home or cottage. I love the yellow and purple/blue combination! Each of these sweet little paintings come framed in a black shadow box which gives a nice finished...
read moreThe Boys
Having cute grandkids gives you endless inspiration for cute paintings. And I am that lucky grandmother. The Boys – Acrylic Painting 12 x 16 My first-born son had white-blond hair that he inherited from his Norwegian father. It has now darkened with age as he just hit the 40-year mark. He may even have the odd grey hair, I might add! To honour the occasion, I decided to paint a picture of his adorable, and rambunctious two boys. The boys also inherited the white-blond hair and handsome Scandinavian features. There is such an innocence and curiosity about all things when they are young. They are older now. I think they were 2 and 3 years old in this painting—super-inquisitive and active as little boys tend to be at that age. As I painted this, I often reflected on the time, many years ago when my own boys were young and I painted a watercolour of them. Busy little gardeners They grow up and become the people they are meant to be. Who knew that day many years ago when they were just playing in the dirt that they would both become fathers themselves. Watching them in their roles as fathers to their kids today is a big source of pride for my husband and me. My son and his family live on the other side of the world, which means I will have to ship the painting. Unfortunately, Covid-19 travel restrictions have put an end to the hopes of a reunion any time soon. Artists these days often ship paintings internationally. With proper cardboard and bubble wrap packaging, this is not a...
read moreHibiscus Joy
When it’s the middle of March and there is still plenty of snow on the ground, and the world is changing every day with the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, I sought solace and peace in painting this beautiful hot pink flower… Lesson from a hibiscus: Live with Joy 12′ x 12″ Acrylic Painting Cost: $175 Advice from a Hibiscus Live with joy, bring beauty into the world, create a colourful life, open to love, and be dazzling! In troubled times it truly is an asset to be creative, or to have a hobby. As each day brought more serious, shocking and sometimes sad news of the progress of the coronavirus, I turned to my easel for an outlet and a diversion for my emotions and anxiety. I had also been painting a lot of winter scenes lately. When you live in northern Ontario, winter consumes at least 6 months out of the year. You are surrounded by beauty and also the harshness of the endless cold and snowy days. So painting winter is to be expected and requires a lot of blue paint! The idea of painting a pink flower was really exciting. And I just happened to have this lovely photo of this stunning hibiscus flower from a hibiscus bush that bloomed non-stop all summer long! I hope it brings others as much joy as it did for...
read moreThe Nest
Two perfect little robin’s eggs in a perfect little nest. Acrylic 12″ x 12″ SOLD Nature really is a wonder. These two perfect little robin’s eggs look so snug and cosy nestled in their perfect nest lovingly constructed by mother robin. There seems to be an unspoken promise of spring here, a promise of new life…the beginning of something new. I painted this in March when there was a lot of snow on the ground, and my dreams of spring were yet...
read moreWinter Reflections
Every now and then inspiration for a painting sits in your mind long enough that when you finally put brush to canvas, the painting almost paints itself! That was the case with “Winter Reflections”. Winter Reflections 12″ x 36″ Acrylic Painting. Price $350 I think that if someone had given me the task of painting with only 2 colours, I would have felt somewhat limited. But that was not the case at all with this painting. Two paint colours were all that was needed and there was no more to consider. In the end, I think that the simplicity of only 2 colours makes it all...
read moreGolden Forest
Sometimes you might find yourself in the middle of a forest in the fall totally surrounded by birch trees and yellow leaves. You might feel as though you are lost in a sea of golden leaves. Golden leaves and birch trees make an exciting combination. 12″ x 16″ acrylic painting. Price: $75.00 + tax and...
read moreAngels Among Us
The theme for this year’s Christmas show & sale for The Gallery at the Centre in Elliot Lake is “Angels Among Us”. Woodland Angel 14″ x 18″ acrylic painting – SOLD While I liked the theme when it was presented, for the longest time, I really didn’t know what I might create for this theme. A crafty type person would make Christmas tree ornaments out of paper, wood or metal. I had some ideas but they all required a lot of supplies that I didn’t have. Plus I wasn’t all that enthused about any of them. I really don’t glue, or sew a lot. I don’t even own a glue gun. The sure indicator of “the crafty type”. Yet, the theme inspired me. Angels. How beautiful. Like most artists would do, I Googled and I checked Pinterest to see what was out there with the angels theme. What were other artists doing? Amongst the more religious ancient paintings of the renaissance period and earlier, there were some really nice contemporary takes on the angels theme. I knew that I had to stick with the art medium that I felt most comfortable with at the moment. After my first Woodland Angel painting, the other 2 angel paintings seemed to come together easily. Angel of Music 10 x 10...
read moreGood Morning Estepona!
This painting was inspired by the view from the balcony where I stood in the spring of 2018 when we visited Estepona, Spain. We arrived late the evening prior. After organizing the essentials and changing into fresh clothes we headed out to the nearby streets in search of a place to eat. This proved easy since most eateries open late for dinner in Spain. It was the eve of the May 1 holiday weekend, and the streets were full of bustling crowds of people of all ages—a mix of tourists and nationals. How exciting it all was! The next morning, I ran to the top of the apartment and looked out from the terrace to look upon this scene. “You can see the Rock of Gibraltar on a clear day”, we were told. And there it was in the distance. The sun had not yet made its way over the square below, just kissing some of the roof tops. And just beyond I could see the ocean, the sand and the palm trees. Good morning, Estepona! We have arrived. I was intrigued by the perspective of the buildings from where I stood. So many angles, but all pointing to the sunlit ocean and palm tree in the distance. The colours and shadows were interesting too. I played around with the oranges, creamy whites, and purple hues, changing them until I was satisfied with the end...
read moreAutumn Symphony in Northern Ontario
Autumn is a beautiful season most anywhere in the world. Cosy sweater weather, warm drinks by the fire, and awesome coloured leaves…what’s not to like? I may be a bit biased but here in Northern Ontario, the fall colours in the bush go absolutely crazy with crimson reds merging with the brightest yellows producing shades of orange against the grey rocks. What a show! Autumn Symphony 30″ x 40″ Acrylic – SOLD A friend of mine left a message on my Facebook page one day: “Cornelia, I need one of your paintings!” So naturally, I called him and checked out his office space which had the most brightly painted walls I’ve ever seen. Marigold, bright yellows, reds and oranges! These guys really like fall colours. The challenge was to paint a colourful fall scene that would compliment the colours and not get lost or overpower. Well, I have to admit, the painting looked perfect on a bright yellow wall. I named this painting Autumn Symphony because it almost seems like the birch tree with its branches was standing like a conductor orchestrating this most magnificent symphony. If you’ve never been to Northern Ontario in the fall, you really should add it to your list of places to...
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