Creative people are risk takers. Right? Wrong!! I have NEVER been a risk taker. I learnt to swim with my big toe bouncing along the bottom of the pool. During athletic sports I always pushed the hurdles over rather than bang my shins against them when attempting to leap over. I tried to be a ‘cool mum’ and went on the Scoobydoo ride at Movieworld; this literally ended in tears. I don’t ride horses. I don’t go near cows. I give swans and geese a wide birth. A critical and full analysis of every possible risk will usually steer me clear of activities involving speed, altitude, extreme temperatures, wildlife, some domestic life and getting my hair wet.
When making Art there are two vital components that are necessary to have in your arsenal.
Technical proficiency - the ability to use materials and techniques to give you the effects you want.
An open mind and the willingness to take risks.
To become technically proficient you take courses, read, watch others and practice, practice, practice. To have an open mind and take risks, well you have to believe in the value that this will give to your work and you have to just do it. Big breath, feel the fear and do it.
Three years ago, when I decided to give my all to Painting I certainly felt the fear. But I simply had no choice. I was 53, my father had just died and I knew in very real terms that one day I would too. If I was going to do this which I had always loved and wanted to do, I had to get started. Time was against me. I spent a year feeling incredibly frustrated as I tried to produce work I liked. I didn’t even know WHAT I liked, nor what my work looked like as I searched for a style that seemed to be me. I lived in constant fear that I just wasn’t good enough. So I took a course, put in the hours and began to relax. I learnt not to look to others to find my style, but to look within me. To pay attention to what I liked the look of as I smooshed paint around. Gradually, I found bits I loved and I learnt about the value of Risk in artmaking. I would never have found what I wanted to make without an attitude of “To hell with it… what have I got to lose…I have no choice if I want to improve…”
Since starting on this path, I have certainly surprised myself with the risks I have taken. I have gathered up my work and shown it to Galleries. I have entered into competitions, displayed it in an Open Studio event. I have invested money in materials, courses, framing in the hope that it will pay off. And in the beginning, with very little evidence that it would. I have entered into the Social Media arena. There is fear to overcome, or at least just push aside in all of this. A droning voice in my head telling me “Who is going to like this?”, “What a waste of money…” “You can’t do this, you know you’re not good enough…” “People will laugh…” But I have no choice, because the alternative is to not do it and then what would I do? And most importantly how would I feel about myself? Even if I fall flat, hurt my shins, get my hair wet, at least I’ve tried and I won’t die wondering.
This year I have signed up and paid up for an Art Fair in September. Now at this point I must give some backstory that might shed some light on why paying over a $1000 for a stall at an Art Fair comes with an inordinate amount of fear. My partner is Scottish. He’s lovely, but ‘WE’ live life looking for a bargain, and can barely contain the euphoria when something is ‘cheap’. Needless to say, I had a paper bag ready for him to breathe into when I paid that bill.
The most important risks I take though, are actually when I’m making my work. Often a painting will be almost done, having a lot that I love about it, but there is just something that is not quite right. At this point I can pussyfoot around trying to bring it together with small moves trying to preserve what I like and avoid messing it up. This never works. To get it right usually takes a bold step, even painting over something that I love. Sometimes I can’t bare to look, I make the big move with eyes tight shut. But the more I paint the more confident I get that this willingness to mess it up, take the risks, big risks, makes the painting so much better.
Has my willingness to take risks in Art transferred to the same openness to throw myself off a cliff, bungy off a bridge, or wear short shorts? Hell NO!!! I may have learnt some valuable life lessons but I’m not stupid!! However, I am writing a blog for the first time so tick off another hurdle jumped. Rest assured though, my feet are firmly on the floor.
If you are a budding artist, I urge you to be willing to take risks in your work. You will improve so much quicker than just doing what you know. It’s so exciting when your work starts to look like something you never thought you could make, and the only way you get to this point is stepping out into territory you’ve never been to before. Try a new tool, work larger than you’ve worked before, use colours you’ve never used before, change your process in some way, paint without looking, have a little less control. Amaze yourself!!
If you would like to keep in touch, I have a regular newsletter that lets you know of upcoming events, new work and when I issue a blog post (you won’t be inundated - I’m not organised enough for that).