I recently downloaded on Audible ‘Tribe of Mentors’ by Tim Ferriss. It has been interesting listening. So far, I’ve had two takeaways.

1. When you embark on a project that can look daunting such as writing a book, the first question you should ask yourself is:

What would this project look like if it was easy?

This is the question Tim asks himself whenever embarking on something new when the magnitude of the project seems insurmountable. To write this book on Life Advice, his solution was instead of coming up with all the pearls of wisdom himself, he asked 100 high flyers, thought leaders, superstars in their field to answer some questions and give him their take on life. What a great question to begin with, and what an inspired answer.

So, back to my life and my insurmountable projects, let’s test that question. We have a large garden and as we are now playing with the idea of Spring here in NZ, there is loads of work to be done. Weeding, trimming and pruning, laying down sheep pellets and compost to build up the soil, mulching with bark to keep the weeds down and moisture levels up over summer. These are just some of the endless tasks waiting and waving at me every time I step outside.

What would this job look like if it was easy? To be honest, it would look like a cheerful gardener being paid to come in with a team of equally cheerful co-workers to blitz the job in a day or two. Done… easy. But what else do I see when I look at this easy-fix? I see my Scottish partner, inside, breathing into a paper bag at the prospect of handing over cash for a job he believes deep into his soul that WE are quite capable of doing.

Now I have another insurmountable project – how can I undo the work of generations of frugality bred into my darling man? Before he could talk, he was probably schooled in counting his pennies – this is no quick-fix, 24 hour turn around! We have been together for 19 years now and while we have accommodated and adjusted in order to shape a happy cohabitation, this mindset is entrenched. So, my solution is to do as much as I can without losing the will to live and leaving the rest to him. That’s what that job looks like when it’s easy – or at least doable, if it must be me to do it. I wonder if Tim would see it that way?

As far as Tim’s strategy for taking the sting out of the big jobs, I don’t think I’ve quite understood how to apply it in my life. I was brought up after all, to believe that we shouldn’t take the easy route; easy is lazy, hard relentless slog is worthy. What a cheery couple my darling man and I are – his entrenched frugality and my drudgery work ethic. This is why, when I need a pretty facemask so that I can fly to Wellington on Friday, I will make one instead of buy one. This ticks both boxes for us – I’m saving money and it will involve some work. We will both be satisfied. Enough said, let’s move onto the second takeaway from Mr Ferriss’s book.

2. An expert is someone who has made all the mistakes in a narrow field.

Yes, I believe this to be true and I love it. This takes the Expert off their lofty pedestal and reduces them to a blundering someone who makes lots of mistakes – just like me! I’m not claiming Expert status, but I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve been more general and liberal in my mistake-making, not refining them to just one narrow field however. As I get older I’m becoming more of an all-rounded Expert as I frequently make mistakes, sometimes repeatedly all the time. When I was young, this didn’t happen as much, in fact at all, as I rarely made mistakes and just endured them being made by others. Little did I know that they were doggedly pursuing Expert status.

Now though, as I work in a narrow field and continue to make mistakes I am reaching a higher level of knowledge and expertise. It’s liberating to see mistakes as a mark of continued growth and instead of avoiding them, to welcome them and look forward to the wisdom that is their hallmark.

I believe, in Art making there actually is no such thing as a Mistake. Nothing is wrong, sometimes you can make a move on a painting that doesn’t look very good and you know is wrong, but it’s no mistake when it clearly points you in the right direction for your next move. The worst thing an artist can do is be fearful of making a mistake. Sometimes the ‘mistakes’ can take the work to a new level, and you strive forever to make just that mistake again. To create the environment where mistakes or accidents can happen is exactly what we must do to push ourselves and make discoveries that would never be encountered if we played it safe.

When my painting is looking too stilted and tame I will mix up a colour and make some big moves, make a bit of a mess, just so that I can stop fine-tuning, take the painting back a stage or two and give myself something to correct. This is always liberating and refreshing - to turn your back on fine tight safe work and launch again into the unknown. So next time you don’t know what to do with your work, pluck up your courage and make a mistake, but don’t call it that. Call it a launch pad to becoming an Expert in your field. Yippeeee!!

Join me in THE UPBEAT ARTISTS’ GROUP full of lovely creative people all making heaps of mistakes. Or if you would like me to teach you how to make mistake, after mistake after mistake and as a result have a painting that you love, then check out my course stARTs.

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