Here are a couple of my paintings done during week 1 of the 20 hr a week challenge....
Some of you have been reading all the twittering about the 20 hr per week painting challenge. Lori W., an artist who twitters began this challenge to artists last week. I thought it would be a good exercise for me, so I accepted the challenge and did 20hrs + this past week. What have I learned thus far?
Discipline in time management is the number one thing. I have put the painting first, then the rest of life stuff. Sometimes that is hard because a lot of people don't think of my art time as work. If I had a "real" job then folks would be more careful when interrupting my work. They would hesitate before asking me to spend my work time doing other tasks. I often have to explain that this is my real job, and what looks like play is real work. Mentioning that I was part of a challenge helped this week.
I am also focusing more on my work and not letting other things interrupt, such as phone calls, etc...It helps when I am out in my big studio, courtesy of Mother Nature.
Another thing I am learning is not to sweat the small stuff...just paint for the joy and the experience it brings. Each time I put paint on the canvas I am learning something about how I see things. Also practice helps my work improve...sometimes it is a struggle...especially when I am trying to move forward.
If you haven't tried the 20 hr a week challenge, I encourage you to give it a shot. What have you got to lose?
