The Art of Showing Up and Doing the Work
How to get out of your own way and start creating the work that lights you up
Doing the work, productive studio painting time
Regardless of what medium I may be working in, I have found that the absolute best way to learn is by doing... by making a lot of work, imperfectly. This can be a challenging thing to do. Here, I share some of my observations, learnings, and advice to help you along the way.
It’s important to remember that what you see of others’ lives is often the highlights – the best paintings and the prettiest moments. In between, is a lot of unglamorous small steps; a lot of showing up and doing the work. Often, there is uncertainty and a lack of external validation for the work you are doing.
I’ve heard countless painters say that one in five, or even one in ten, of their paintings ‘turns out’. Set reasonable standards for yourself. It’s ok, and necessary, to make the mediocre work, to fumble, to learn. Done is better than perfect.
Getting started is the hardest part
If you’re stuck, make something. Anything. Make a deliberately terrible painting. Create a sketch of an idea. Play with a new material just to see what it does and how it behaves.Starting is by far the hardest part. Once you start, you will often find yourself continuing. You will get into the flow and become curious.For me, I know I’m in ‘creative flow’ when I am walking to/from the studio and I’m excited by a little snippet of light or the shape of a building. Or if I catch myself looking at something and thinking how I’d paint it, what colours I might use, what direction I might pull the brush… This is a precursor to having a flow of new ideas and inspiration, maybe a new piece or even a new project.
Set reasonable standards for yourself. It’s ok, and necessary, to make the mediocre work, to fumble, to learn.
Make something small
Be willing to make small things. This creates a sense of play, a low-pressure environment in which for you to show up and do your work. 5-minute or 15-minute paintings. Sew something small with the scraps. Create something decorative. Solve a little problem with your space. Make a little tool for yourself.
Starting small will give you momentum and confidence for attempting a bigger idea or project. Even if you are working on a longer or more intensive project, you can always pause and make something small. It can be very energizing.
Create a routine and stick to it
If you are goal-oriented, set a manageable daily/weekly goal for yourself: I will write x number of pages, I will paint 3 new paintings. Meet your goal consistently.
Show up when you are supposed to and take the next small step you are able to take. There is a lot of power in simply showing up. Again and again. Even when you don’t feel like it. A lot of small steps can get you surprisingly far over time.
Each time you take a step, each time you show up, you are showing yourself that you are the type of person who can do this. You get a little stronger each time.
If you are having a really tough day, do what you can. Organize your space. Look at some inspiration. Go for a walk or have a think in a coffee shop window. You do not need to be productive every single time, but try to be in the headspace of creating.
Try to not allow these non-creating days become a form of procrastination. If they do, you may have some fears to look at or inner critics to deal with.
There is a lot of power in simply showing up. A lot of small steps can get you surprisingly far over time. Each time you take a step, you are showing yourself that you are the type of person who can do this.
A selection of recent paintings
Make lots of imperfect work
Be willing to make bad paintings to get to the good paintings.
Be kind to yourself, try not to judge the work. If it helps, you can put it aside for a set period of time (say, a week or a month). Make a date with yourself, pour a cup of tea, and look through all the work you’ve created. You can even take some notes for yourself about what you like, dislike, what worked best, surprises, disappointments, and areas for improvement. They can be something small.
I will have to write a post about my struggles with perfectionism… Update: here it is.
Avoid false work
Don’t mistake buying supplies or books as the same thing as doing the work.
Don’t mistake ‘research’ or looking at ‘inspiration’ as the same thing as doing the work. It can often lead to either overwhelm or a comparison trap.
You do need to buy some supplies, you do need to care for yourself, and you do need to fill your creative reservoir – but 95% of the time, if you are not working, it’s because a fear is getting the better of you.
You do need to buy some supplies, you do need to care for yourself, and you do need to fill your creative reservoir – but 95% of the time, if you are not working, it’s because a fear is getting the better of you.
Seek your own inspiration
Make art about what captivates you, this is your unique style and voice
There is a time to look outward and see what others in your field are making, and there is a time to remove outside influences and seek your own inspiration. Make a little space to listen to your own voice and your own interests.
Go for a walk. Watch movies, read books, go to galleries, take a bike ride to a new neighbourhood, visit an architectural gem, lie on your back in the park for an afternoon...
This is how you will begin to find the things that capture your attention and that you want to make work about. It is only by making a lot of work, for yourself, that you will begin to find your voice, your purpose, your style.
Make work about the things that capture your attention. Even if they are sketches or little snippets and you can’t yet see the patterns. They might even be collections of things you found on a walk. Whatever is captivating you, pay attention to it, create space for it. It will begin to emerge in your work in some way and it will be uniquely you.
It is only by making a lot of work, for yourself, that you will begin to find your voice, your purpose, your style.
Break what you want to learn down into smaller pieces
It would be overwhelming and paralyzing to try to ‘learn to paint’. Take your big dreams, goals, and visions and break them down into more manageable steps that you can take each day. Even if you can only find the first step or two, it’s enough for you to get started.
What I do, is I pick something specific I want to get better at – colour mixing, seeing tonal value, night palettes… For you it could be sewing a particular type of stitch, understanding a particular material… Create a small exercise to learn a little more about it. Often, this will be enough to get the ball rolling. Almost always, it will lead to another question or to an idea for a finished piece / larger project.
Learn however you learn best
I am a tangential learner. I follow strings of ideas and thoughts, learning a series of things over here and over there – and sometimes missing a few pieces in the middle, or picking them up later. If you are more systematic, if you learn best by taking a course, reading a book, following a tutorial step-by-step, do that. Don’t try to fight the way that you learn.
Be careful to not make excuses for why you are not creating, though. If you’re not making often, there is likely a fear at the root of that. It will help you to look at that fear and try to understand it. This is how you will be able to see when, why, and how it is occurring and begin to move beyond it.
Remember, the absolute best way to learn a new skill is by doing.
Don’t worry about every possible scenario, about what might go wrong, about what you are not yet able to do. Simply take the next step that you can see ahead of you. Show up. Take action. Be willing to make a lot of work, imperfectly. Do the best you can and try to remember that that is all you can ask of yourself, to do your best. It is enough, and it will improve over time.
Tell yourself kind and supportive things as you go. You are learning and you are growing. You are strong and you are brave.
Take a few breaths to ask yourself, “what is the next right step?”
Whatever small answer you get, go do that thing.
Feel accompanied: I share learnings about living a meaningful creative life, as well as beautiful artwork and stories each month. Sign up for my monthly email letter at the bottom of the homepage. I also post regularly on Instagram.
Perfectionism is curable – I wrote a post about how I overcame a serious case of perfectionism, and how much happier and more free it has made me.
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