Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Are you ready to fail
Do you ever feel that feeling of resistance to start something new or difficult? Do you ever fear failure? And more importantly: do you let the fear stop you doing it anyway? |
Heres something I learned in the past years: if youre not failing every once in a while, youre not trying hard enough. This works on many levels. But Im not here to give you life lessons, and I certainly dont feel experienced enough to do so. But I do know this: You like drawing and sketching? But maybe you feel intimidated by other peoples art, or even by a blank page on which you dont know how to start. You feel fear. Fear that the drawing you make will come out wonky. Fear that you will be unhappy with the result of your efforts. Fear of disappointing yourself. Do you let the fear hold you back from doing it anyway? What is worse: 1)feeling frustrated because youre not trying, or 2)making a drawing that doesnt turn out as quite the masterpiece you want it to be? |
Heres one of my favorite quotes, by Victor Kiam: "Even if you fall on your face, youre still moving forward". I think that hits the nail right on its head. |
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If I would have followed my fears instead of following my heart, I would never have started my first online drawing course, Just Draw It. or any of the online classes that followed. Yes, I encountered quite some failures along the way, but I learned from my mistakes and moved on. And then, the stumbling forward became a confident walk. Or at least, I feel proud every time when participants tell me about their aha-moments and when I see their progress during the 5 weeks of the course. |
This is what Christel says about Just Draw It: "These five last weeks, I have tried several techniques that I would not have tried on my own. I like the way you approach each new subject, building up our skills step by step. You make complicated subjects simple and fun! And I loved the atmosphere in the class. " |
This is what Barbara says: "I expected to gain some fundamental drawing techniques. I did, but I gained so much more! Your lessons were clear and well-structured, and included just enough difficulty to stretch my drawing "muscles". But your greatest strength is in the conscientious way you followed up with every posting and every question, guiding each student to develop his/her understanding, and individual style. In addition, you facilitated the camaraderie of a lovely, supportive group of classmates which made the experience even more rewarding. This combination of teacher and classmates has enabled confidence in my abilities, a confidence that had previously eluded me. I am now finally using those art materials Id stockpiled, and Im no longer afraid to practice, practice, practice (with patience and perseverance, of course)" |
When youre developing a (new) skill, you make mistakes. Or, as Bob Ross used to call them: Happy accidents. Then you look at them, and learn from them. Next time, instead of fearing that failure, you tackle it and go forward. You make it a failure-feast and in the end, you gained lots of new skills and experience. Not to mention, the whole adventure you went through. So, heres a question for you: Are you ready to go and fail at something? |
Check out my online course Just Draw It by clicking here. It starts August 4 and runs for five weeks. You can join and Ill be guiding you through those weeks for just $99. I hope to see you in class! |
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