Louise, I just have to say at this point that amongst all the helpful artists out there on this big ol' UA-cam, you are the one who really gets into my head AND my heart about my own personal journey through this artist life. I think the reason I feel this GOOD about it (at least most of the time) is thanks to you. Heaps of thanks :)
Oh dear this exact situation happened to me today and I laughed when you started this video. It was like you were inside my head and gave me a metaphorical slap. Thanks Louise I needed this 😁
Yes! Totally true! I've spent a lifetime doing this and all it's done is make me freeze so I stop creating. What a waste of precious time and creativity! Thank you for this. Fingers crossed that I'll remember your words and keep on painting! 💖
Thank you Louise, one of the most valuable lessons I learned early in FYJ was not getting precious, knowing if I made a great mark or part of a painting I could do it again!❤
Thank you Louise for your insight into how "I" am thinking when i create my work. This type of thinking has stopped me working on a canvas that i started ages ago and did not want to "spoil" the good bits
This is so empowering - I know that space of covering up what was beginning to become precious in a painting This makes so much sense. I have endless wonderful things inside me!!
Louise you are SO right! I’m always doing this and funnily enough was chatting about the problem of having one little area of good painting and what to do with it this morning. My friend was shocked when I said paint it out!! 😮 I have sent her the link to your video. As always you put into words thoughts or problems that lurk in the depths! Thank you Carys
My goodness, this is so true! I never realized how constraining this mind-set is. It's a kind of fearfulness, I think. Time to throw it away! Thanks, Louise. You're amazing!
Truly Brilliant Thoughts. I have learned So Much from you Louise. I am trying to break through my barriers and reach deep inside to my genuine creativity. Thank You for choosing to share your Art, your Thoughts, and your Wisdom! You are a Natural teacher. You have a talent and gift of expressing important insights. I’m grateful I have been blessed to find and follow you! ❤ Thank you from my heart! ❤ Jalyne in Utah USA
This has been one of the hardest, perhaps the hardest, things for me as a beginner. I get excited when I'm trying this and that, and something really cool happens! And then I want to keep it. And trying to work around it just becomes an exercise in frustration and, often, despair. I've heard this advise before, from you and from others, but it's still a real struggle. As I continue to explore and to learn, it's so helpful to have this video with this advice again. I think as we learn and grow, we can hear something again in a new way, You're such a good teacher, Louise! Thank you!
Cheryl, sometimes it's a struggle for all of us at one time or another so you are not alone. I am so glad this video resonated with you and that you enjoyed it ♥
Thank you for this video. I've written a blog post linking to it because there is so much wisdom in your words about how giving up the good bits affects our self-talk.
Thank you so much, Louise - I really needed to hear this today. I have a tendency (especially lately) where I hang on to those tiny little bits, only to realize much later that it is a complete waste of time, and effort. Learning to trust my gut and letting go ....
Thank you Louise yet again for a timely message. I realise now how many times I've been doing exactly what you described here. Courage seems to be growing very slowly here, but yet, I guess that must be my path. Thanks again.
Thanks for the words of wisdom. I'm in this exact predicament with 2 pieces. One that is about 2 years old with a section of which I think too highly. The rest of the painting I recently redid and now I feel I should just cover up the old section and keep going!
Thanks so much…I have been wrestling w/this for years and have been ‘letting go’ w/the nonsense as of late… it feels so GOOD…my take is “if I did it well ONCE surely there is MORE inside you that you can/will find again”.
I have learned alot from you that has helped me grow as an artist! And love ur videos, but I have worked freely in exploration and been so excited in discovering something I love, that I have saved it for sale. I don't see it as a negative, but a positive.
So true! I am guilty of doing this, but I have worked on letting go of it and learning how to be free and not get caught up in a scarcity mindset. WHY do we do this to ourselves when it comes to art? It is really incredible! Side note- I am drooling over the painting you have in the middle behind you! 🙂
It was a hard lesson for me to learn (and I still need to remind myself at times!) but you're so right, holding on to "precious bits" is counterproductive.
This is definitely one of my challenges but I've gotten better. It's so true that it is a mindset of 'lack'. In my early days it was about the materials cost. Then it became about the parts of a painting, especially the one bit in the painting I'm not willing to sacrifice for the rest of it. One way I keep that in check is to ask the painting what IT wants (as opposed to what I want) This immediately makes me look at it more objectively so I can move forward.
Boy, this came at the right time for me!!!! Have put a piece away as love one third of it and keep attempting to bring the other two thirds up to meet it - I now know what to do.......thanks Louise
Hi Louise, I was one who asked the question earlier. I love your response to this action could be damaging, I understand what you mean and will keep it in mind going forward. Thank you for your wise understanding support xx
this is really powerful, it's the same mindset that prevented me from exploring art in my youth. I grew up without access to art supplies and poverty in many ways, so I wouldn't dare to try to learn because I was afraid of wasting supplies. I've had to challenge myself with that mindset even now that I can buy my own supplies, but that lack mentality is what prevented me from experimenting with my creativity, if I couldn't KNOW in advance that I'd have success I wouldn't even try. Thank you for making this make sense for me.
This was definitely something I needed to hear! i often save workshop pieces for months or years, feeling that they are so special and I need to use them somewhere. Or cutting up parts of a painting and selling those because I needed more pieces for a particular show. also, painting for a show, as opposed to just painting for joy. I can tell that it's limiting my enjoyment of painting. And your statement, are you painting with everything you've got, the answer is definitely NO. Thanks for this kick in the pants talk!
Hear hear! Once I learnt not to do this my artwork next to the next level. I take a photo of any bits I particularly like so that I can study it later and work out what it was I liked and often I can create similar again 🎉
It seems from comments that this is something most of us know - but we struggle to take our own advice. Trying to make a picture work for the sake of the good bit is certainly a problem I experience. I'm slowly getting better but 'junking the nice bit' is always painful at the time - but always the right thing to do. Thanks for your encouragement!
This is so on the money. And speaking of which, my resistance to the idea of selling or giving away my work falls under the same category. I would only want to sell or give away my very best work, but I don’t want to part with it because I’m utterly convinced that I would never be able to make anything that good again! 🤪
This is so empowering. I am still wanting to try some cropping.mostly it is composition. It is all very thought provoking .I am thinking of your interview with Carlene Bronner and how she stole from an artist Belinda Fox how she went with the flow.
I have done this so many times - I put them in a box and go through them over and over and put them back into the box - I need to realize that one good thing doesn’t warrant keeping the pieces with the idea of framing or reviving it later. Maybe this year I will??
Louise, while I respect your teachings, I must comment that I totally disagree with this concept. I teach abstract art and encourage my students to find sections of their work that they love and cut it up and frame it. This is actually one of my personal favorite ways of finding interesting compositions. I do this and don’t believe for one minute that I have a scarcity mindset. I fully believe in abundance and that there are many ways to create beautiful art, and finding sections you love in larger work is one way to learn about finding your unique style. I’ve spent over 40+ years selling my art and many of the pieces that are in high-end collections were done using this technique.
Thank you for sharing this you are right on target..I’ve heard similar thoughts like this (ie: kill your babies hah😂😂) but you have done a great job reminding us and explaining this in terms of scarcity, flow and letting go..
It IS a really hard thing to do, I have lots of paintings awaiting resolution because of this. I have to kill my "little darlings" like this: position a fully loaded brush, take a deep breath, look away, and swipe or bounce or drag it across. It's a lot like taking a needle, you think it's way worse than it is before you take it, but after you're wondering what you were so worried about :) Edit: oh I gave myself a good metaphor: take the needle instead of getting surgery, heh heh.
Louise, I just have to say at this point that amongst all the helpful artists out there on this big ol' UA-cam, you are the one who really gets into my head AND my heart about my own personal journey through this artist life. I think the reason I feel this GOOD about it (at least most of the time) is thanks to you. Heaps of thanks :)
So glad I could provide this feeling to you and thank you so much for your kind words. Cheers!
Louise, your expression of these pieces of wisdom is just the BEST!
Awww thank you Ann! ♥
Spot on Louise !! Abundance mindset as opposed to scarcity! Nothing is sacred ....dance naked!!
Glad you liked it Laura ♥
Oh dear this exact situation happened to me today and I laughed when you started this video. It was like you were inside my head and gave me a metaphorical slap. Thanks Louise I needed this 😁
Haha you are so welcome Milly!
Yes! Totally true! I've spent a lifetime doing this and all it's done is make me freeze so I stop creating. What a waste of precious time and creativity! Thank you for this. Fingers crossed that I'll remember your words and keep on painting! 💖
You are so welcome Carol. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Well said. I’ve been down that rabbit hole and have learned that if you do away with a small precious bit, something better will happen. So freeing!
Glad you agree Gerri!
Thank you Louise, one of the most valuable lessons I learned early in FYJ was not getting precious, knowing if I made a great mark or part of a painting I could do it again!❤
That's it exactly :)
Same here! One of the most valuable lessons I learned in FYJ last year!! 💖
Thank you for your wisdom Louise, you just know the right time to challenge our thinking, and help us move on!
So glad I could provide that for you Sonia!
Thank you Louise for your insight into how "I" am thinking when i create my work. This type of thinking has stopped me working on a canvas that i started ages ago and did not want to "spoil" the good bits
Thanks for watching Carmen and don't be scared! Art is all about experimenting. ♥
This is so empowering - I know that space of covering up what was beginning to become precious in a painting This makes so much sense. I have endless wonderful things inside me!!
So glad you loved it!
Louise you are SO right! I’m always doing this and funnily enough was chatting about the problem of having one little area of good painting and what to do with it this morning. My friend was shocked when I said paint it out!! 😮
I have sent her the link to your video. As always you put into words thoughts or problems that lurk in the depths!
Thank you
Carys
So glad this helped!
My goodness, this is so true! I never realized how constraining this mind-set is. It's a kind of fearfulness, I think. Time to throw it away! Thanks, Louise. You're amazing!
I'm so glad to help :)
Truly Brilliant Thoughts. I have learned So Much from you Louise. I am trying to break through my barriers and reach deep inside to my genuine creativity. Thank You for choosing to share your Art, your Thoughts, and your Wisdom! You are a Natural teacher. You have a talent and gift of expressing important insights. I’m grateful I have been blessed to find and follow you! ❤ Thank you from my heart! ❤ Jalyne in Utah USA
So glad to have you here with me Jalyne and that I can share my thoughts with you! Much appreciated. ♥
This has been one of the hardest, perhaps the hardest, things for me as a beginner. I get excited when I'm trying this and that, and something really cool happens! And then I want to keep it. And trying to work around it just becomes an exercise in frustration and, often, despair. I've heard this advise before, from you and from others, but it's still a real struggle. As I continue to explore and to learn, it's so helpful to have this video with this advice again. I think as we learn and grow, we can hear something again in a new way, You're such a good teacher, Louise! Thank you!
Cheryl, sometimes it's a struggle for all of us at one time or another so you are not alone. I am so glad this video resonated with you and that you enjoyed it ♥
Yep, this happened to me recently. Good to know I am not alone!
You definitely are not alone!
Thank you for this video. I've written a blog post linking to it because there is so much wisdom in your words about how giving up the good bits affects our self-talk.
Aww thank you! ♥♥
So TRUE !!! Thanks for the reminder!
You are so very welcome Joyce!
I do like to save bits. Not because it's the valuable part but because I can incorporate it into new work - something different.
I think that's a great idea if you are going to save it! Make sure it's being utilized in a new way ♥
Thank you so much, Louise - I really needed to hear this today. I have a tendency (especially lately) where I hang on to those tiny little bits, only to realize much later that it is a complete waste of time, and effort. Learning to trust my gut and letting go ....
Glad I could help Claudia!
Thank you Louise yet again for a timely message. I realise now how many times I've been doing exactly what you described here.
Courage seems to be growing very slowly here, but yet, I guess that must be my path. Thanks again.
So glad you are growing Hazel! That's the most important thing. 🖌
Thanks for the words of wisdom. I'm in this exact predicament with 2 pieces. One that is about 2 years old with a section of which I think too highly. The rest of the painting I recently redid and now I feel I should just cover up the old section and keep going!
Yes, don't be afraid to take that leap! 🖌
You are so true!! Thank you for clarifying some thing that I have been feeling but haven’t understood
You're welcome!
You are so in touch with your flow. Hope I can someday get there.
Aww thank you Mary! Just keep at it and you will get there. ♥
Excellent point of view. I totally agree. Thanks for reminding me. Great message of infinite abundance.❤
So glad you enjoyed it Melissa!
Oh my gosh I really appreciate this video so so muchhh. This is so very liberating and I really really am so thankful for this!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks so much…I have been wrestling w/this for years and have been ‘letting go’ w/the nonsense as of late… it feels so GOOD…my take is “if I did it well ONCE surely there is MORE inside you that you can/will find again”.
Yes you said it perfectly!
I have learned alot from you that has helped me grow as an artist! And love ur videos, but I have worked freely in exploration and been so excited in discovering something I love, that I have saved it for sale. I don't see it as a negative, but a positive.
We all find our own way Beth - if you're having fun, that's all that matters :)
What great thought. Thank you for sharing this great advice!
Glad you enjoyed it Kat!
So true! I am guilty of doing this, but I have worked on letting go of it and learning how to be free and not get caught up in a scarcity mindset. WHY do we do this to ourselves when it comes to art? It is really incredible!
Side note- I am drooling over the painting you have in the middle behind you! 🙂
Thanks so much Shanna x
So true! Thanks!
You are so very welcome Nancy!
Thank you, beautiful message ❤️
So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this and your explanation Louise, very informative and inspiring, thank you x
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for being here.
So good Louise, thank you!
You are so very welcome!
@@ThisPaintingLife btw Nick mentioned you in this year's CVP very favorably. Forget the context but I was very happy about that!
I love this,you are so right and very talented x
So glad you enjoyed this one Mark! Thanks for watching.
This is one of my blocks for sure!! And you are so right. 🙏🙏
So glad you agree!
Thanks, that was great! I hope everyone 'gets' it.
Glad you liked it Susan and thank you for watching!
That’s brilliant advice! Thank you x
You're so welcome!
It was a hard lesson for me to learn (and I still need to remind myself at times!) but you're so right, holding on to "precious bits" is counterproductive.
It was a hard lesson for me as well Denise. Happy painting!
This is definitely one of my challenges but I've gotten better. It's so true that it is a mindset of 'lack'. In my early days it was about the materials cost. Then it became about the parts of a painting, especially the one bit in the painting I'm not willing to sacrifice for the rest of it. One way I keep that in check is to ask the painting what IT wants (as opposed to what I want) This immediately makes me look at it more objectively so I can move forward.
That's a great way to look at it Melissa! ♥
So well described! I had no idea why I felt this way til now!
I'm so pleased this helped :)
Another great video. "Nothing precious" and "create and destroy" are two of my favorite mantras from Find Your Joy. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching ♥
thank you for such valuable information and insight, Sondra
You are so very welcome and thank you for watching!
Boy, this came at the right time for me!!!! Have put a piece away as love one third of it and keep attempting to bring the other two thirds up to meet it - I now know what to do.......thanks Louise
You are so very welcome Jenny! Thanks for being here with us!
I really need to hear this! Thank you, Louise.
So glad I could be the one to do it ☺
Hi Louise, I was one who asked the question earlier. I love your response to this action could be damaging, I understand what you mean and will keep it in mind going forward. Thank you for your wise understanding support xx
I'm so glad this helped Pauline x
So wise, gracefully said, and really relevant for me at this point in my life! Thank you ❤
you are welcome!
Oh Louise! Thank you for this wisdom 😘
You are so very welcome!
this is really powerful, it's the same mindset that prevented me from exploring art in my youth. I grew up without access to art supplies and poverty in many ways, so I wouldn't dare to try to learn because I was afraid of wasting supplies. I've had to challenge myself with that mindset even now that I can buy my own supplies, but that lack mentality is what prevented me from experimenting with my creativity, if I couldn't KNOW in advance that I'd have success I wouldn't even try. Thank you for making this make sense for me.
I had this same hang-up for the same reasons - I think that's why I speak to it so often x
Brilliant!!
thanks for watching!
Thank you for this excellent endeavour! Now I know how to solve the problem of mud. Very necessary. Time to start something new. Bye for now!!! ❤😊❤
So glad I could provide this Deborah!
I needed that reminder! Thank you!
Glad I could be the one to give it to you ☺
Thank you!💗
You're just great. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome Holly!
This was definitely something I needed to hear! i often save workshop pieces for months or years, feeling that they are so special and I need to use them somewhere. Or cutting up parts of a painting and selling those because I needed more pieces for a particular show. also, painting for a show, as opposed to just painting for joy. I can tell that it's limiting my enjoyment of painting. And your statement, are you painting with everything you've got, the answer is definitely NO. Thanks for this kick in the pants talk!
You are so welcome Marianne! Glad you enjoyed the video. ♥
Hear hear! Once I learnt not to do this my artwork next to the next level. I take a photo of any bits I particularly like so that I can study it later and work out what it was I liked and often I can create similar again 🎉
Great idea Marianne!
It seems from comments that this is something most of us know - but we struggle to take our own advice. Trying to make a picture work for the sake of the good bit is certainly a problem I experience. I'm slowly getting better but 'junking the nice bit' is always painful at the time - but always the right thing to do. Thanks for your encouragement!
I think many of us suffer from these feelings at one point or another. It's not always easy to just scrap it and I totally get it!
Omg, that's me. So true.
SO true this!
So glad you agree!
@@ThisPaintingLife Definitely! I think I first heard you say this two years ago, and I’ve proved out the wisdom of it over and over. 😁 ❤️
Thank you. Food for thought!
Glad you think so Mary and thank you for watching!
This is so on the money. And speaking of which, my resistance to the idea of selling or giving away my work falls under the same category. I would only want to sell or give away my very best work, but I don’t want to part with it because I’m utterly convinced that I would never be able to make anything that good again! 🤪
Tyra I totally understand that feeling. I feel like as an artist, there is a point in which we all go through that! 🖌
This is so important - thanks!!
You are so very welcome Patricia!
Merci !!
You are so welcome Danielle!
This is so empowering. I am still wanting to try some cropping.mostly it is composition. It is all very thought provoking .I am thinking of your interview with Carlene Bronner and how she stole from an artist Belinda Fox how she went with the flow.
I think cropping is absolutely fine as long as you don't interrupt flow to do it, or do it out of a sense of worry that this is a 'rare good bit'
How do you know me so well Louise? It's spooky! Thanks for the good advice.
Glad you enjoyed it and I think we all have this at times :)
Great points 🎉🎉
Glad you agree Maud! Happy painting!
Interesting!
Glad you think so!
I have done this so many times - I put them in a box and go through them over and over and put them back into the box - I need to realize that one good thing doesn’t warrant keeping the pieces with the idea of framing or reviving it later. Maybe this year I will??
You can do it Cheryl! ♥
Louise, while I respect your teachings, I must comment that I totally disagree with this concept. I teach abstract art and encourage my students to find sections of their work that they love and cut it up and frame it. This is actually one of my personal favorite ways of finding interesting compositions. I do this and don’t believe for one minute that I have a scarcity mindset. I fully believe in abundance and that there are many ways to create beautiful art, and finding sections you love in larger work is one way to learn about finding your unique style. I’ve spent over 40+ years selling my art and many of the pieces that are in high-end collections were done using this technique.
Good to hear from you Adele!
Thank you for sharing this you are right on target..I’ve heard similar thoughts like this (ie: kill your babies hah😂😂) but you have done a great job reminding us and explaining this in terms of scarcity, flow and letting go..
So glad I could resonate with you Carolyn. Thanks for watching. ♥
You are so smart :)
Haha thank you Patricia and thank you for watching!
It IS a really hard thing to do, I have lots of paintings awaiting resolution because of this. I have to kill my "little darlings" like this: position a fully loaded brush, take a deep breath, look away, and swipe or bounce or drag it across. It's a lot like taking a needle, you think it's way worse than it is before you take it, but after you're wondering what you were so worried about :) Edit: oh I gave myself a good metaphor: take the needle instead of getting surgery, heh heh.
Remember Golum 'my precious' 🤔😳😊
YES!
❤
❤❤❤
I have gotten used to kill my darlings. Getting rid of something I love so the rest of the painting can work. I call myself a serial killer.
Haha that's too funny Bela! Very well used words! ♥
a wise woman...
That's kind of you to say x