Mistakes are Great!

Where in the world would you ever hear someone telling you this? That mistakes are great!… If you’ve watched any of my art tutorials then you’ve probably heard me say that often. The reason is that what we think of as mistakes are just things we’ve done that we weren’t expecting.

Definitions of words are something I love to explore because often we each have our own definition for words. But just so that we’re all on the same page I looked it up and one of the definitions said “error.” So what is an error? The Cambridge Dictionary defines it like this: “Something done or written by accident that is not correct, not accurate, or does not give the right result.”

So why is it that I think mistakes are great…at least in the art-making department? Because inevitably I‘lI  cover it up, go off in a totally different direction than I wanted, or just stop and pause and reevaluate.

Almost EVERY SINGLE TIME this happens something the result is something wonderful, something that I love, something I never expected but came about because of the mistake!!

“Not the right result.” In abstract painting we never know what the result is going to be, and experimenting, being free, and just playing so often takes us to a place where we’re free, where we embrace something unexpected. Scary? YES!

Are you terrified of making mistakes? If so, do you get back on track in your painting? Or do you just FREEZE, get stuck and put your work aside? Or give up?

Oh, please don’t do that! Think of it like a twist and turn and a new adventure. Anything unexpected and new can be frightening. But suppose you took a moment, said out loud, “Mistakes are good and I’m off on a new adventure.” If you say this often enough instead of cursing the painting…a shift will happen.

You may not believe it now, but trust me it will. Changing your mindset is powerful and by repeatedly saying this out loud with conviction you will totally change your next steps.

How about it? Give it a go and let me know if you had a moment or an experience where you were happy about the mistake.

Love,

Adele

* Download my FREE PDF “10 Exercises to Inspire Your Painting: Download now

 

 * Sign up for my FREE minicourse, “Kickstart Your Abstract Painting” HERE.

 

 * Learn more about my Art with Adele membership HERE.