Don't Panic!!

I've had an email recently from someone who says she is nervous about starting out on a new painting project. Over the years I've realised that this is a very common emotion - the fear of getting it wrong. Most students, and also many professional artists, encounter this on a regular basis. in our heads we think, "I really want to paint this picture, but what if it all goes wrong, what if I can't do it, what if I don't know how to do it...". These 'what ifs' can get so strong that sometimes they even stop us from putting brush to paper.

So what's the antidote? Well, I think it's, "Don't panic!" After all it's only a bit of paper (and that's even got two sides!), and a bit of paint. What's the worst that can go wrong? We waste some materials, and possibly hurt our pride a little. And even if it does go horribly wrong, we will still have learnt something. Yes, even a disaster teaches us something about how not to do it, and there may even be some really good bits mixed in with the mess!

So my advice is this, "Don't panic, don't listen to the 'what ifs' and pick up that brush!"