Pick Up Your Brush: Facing Your Fears

Do you have something you have been wanting to do, but don’t ever do because you are afraid you would stink at it? Afraid that you would fail?

Well, I did.

I just wanted to paint.

Not a wall. Not a piece of furniture.

Not just want, crave.

Paint a picture, “a real picture”, that I would actually show someone.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be “An Artist”.

I had a corner in the basement with an easel and I even began making all of my Christmas presents in high school. When I got to college, I took an art class hoping this would be the step that launched me forward. I am sure I did learn some technical aspects of perspective, but the teacher was all about perfection so it was never a good fit.

For years I have felt a physical need to get out what exists in my head through my hands.

Interior Decorating has filled some of this need, photography has filled a huge part of that need and, of course, this blog has held me accountable to try at creativity on a regular basis. For that, I am most grateful for the opportunity to be a blogger.

But yet, something still stirred.

Two weeks ago I was in Hobby Lobby and ended up in the painting section and I actually and truthfully had a physical discomfort at how sad I was that “I couldn’t paint”.

Well, you know why I couldn’t paint?

BECAUSE I NEVER PICKED UP A BRUSH!!!!!

How am I going to learn to paint if I don’t just start doing it.

So today, I am here to encourage you to pick up your brush, or piano, dance shoes or sneakers, or whatever your “brush” is.

If nothing else happens, you can say you did it and maybe you will even have fun.

So…

I finally decided to pick up my brush.

I have had some ideas brewing lately, maybe it is the weather change, but I felt a need to create.

While showering (why do we get so many ideas in the shower?), I thought through some slightly technical ideas on how to approach a painting.

And so today, I picked up my brush and painted.

I used a photo I took in Paris as inspiration.

I put on some good spiritual music, was patient (well mostly) through the drying times of steps and painted with a peacefulness.

Honestly, I shocked myself. I have never done anything close to this.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not under some disbelief that this is an amazing painting, but that was never the goal.

I will give more details in another post, but I traced the outer outline of the sign and the letters. Perspective was the biggest thing holding me back and having the shape of the sign in place gave me the confidence to move forward with the rest on my own. I was not looking to create a technically authentic painting, I was just looking to create.

The goal was to paint a “real painting” and in my book, this qualifies. It is my first painting.

I laugh to myself because, and I realize that this sounds overly dramatic, but I feel like all the things I have done in the past have lead to this.

That if I had tried this at any other time it would have been different.

The different projects I have done over the years have taught me things, seeing techniques for other projects in blogland, being inspired by artists who create each day.

And strangely enough, I almost feel like it is part of my Faith journey (I will share more on that soon, I think!).

All of those things combined to take me where I was today, sitting at my kitchen counter with a blank canvas, paint, and brushes.

So, what have you been really wanting to do but haven’t because you thought you would fail?

Don’t be afraid, all you have to do is..

Pick up your brush.

I would love if you shared in the comments a time when you “picked up your brush”. Or, share what your “brush” is, what have you not been doing and maybe you are ready now to try?

As always, thank you so much for reading!

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