The Road to success is paved with failures
More than a week has gone by and I haven't had the time to paint anything. I am really not sticking to this "daily" painting theme. Does this bother me? No, not really. Being an adult you sometimes have to make sacrifices that are necessary to juggle the available time. You can call this "adulting". It is a struggle sometimes to find the right balance of work and fun, but that's life. I don't have the luxury to paint full time. I have often thought of other hobbyist painters who have children, work, etc. They find time to paint so I shouldn't complain. But everyone's circumstances are different. If you read my first post I had mentioned the term "daily" can mean "whenever I get the time to paint".
When I am unable to be in the studio I often find myself thinking about my next composition and what it would be. Honestly, I am always thinking about it. Especially when I am outdoors. I often look at things and wonder how I could paint this on a panel or canvas. I think about what makes the composition unique and how to replicate that in colors and tones. I find it a personal challenge for me to figure out how to compound the colors to get the exact value I see. I am at this point where I want to keep challenging myself with something new until I get it right.
I recently just got back from a pharmacy preceptor conference in Washington, D.C. There I met so many other pharmacy professionals who had similar dilemmas I face with precepting students and residents. We were all able to exchange great ideas and experiences. I learned so much from this conference. One of the workshops really resonated with me. It dealt with "The Power of Yet". It focused on two types of mindsets that a person can experience: the "Fixed Mindset" or the "Growth Mindset". Sometimes we go back and forth and experience each mindset. In the fixed mindset your mind is fixed on the reality of your failure and mistakes. When a person experiences a failure they consider it not possible to continue, therefore they move on to something else entirely. They are so blinded by this or these failures they may miss the opportunity for growth/learning. As for a person who lives in the growth mindset they view their inabilities as possibilities to learn from and grow. These individuals engage in learning about their mistakes and guide their learning for the future from their experiences of failure. We have all known people who get a negative frame of mind and say they can't do something after only trying a little while. Maybe we are those people sometimes? If you approach any situation from the "yet" stance you reach for it in a more positive light. I thought this was all a new concept but it has been around for a while. Carol Dweck discussed her research on a TED talk a couple of years ago (see attached video). Have a look at her TED talk discussion below.
Creativity from painting isn't just born. You have to work at it and struggle through the crappy paintings to get something good. Others would argue that there is no such thing as a crappy painting, but rather it is a visual marker in time giving evidence of my growth. What an amazing thing to see, don't you think? A visual of growth. If you work hard at something you are bound to improve and gain successes. This is why I would like to paint daily, but again it isn't possible for me to do it daily. I will continue to paint and explore new possibilities.
Is there something you are not good at? How would you approach it differently if you approach it from a "Growth Mindset"?
Once you learn something...you can't UNLEARN it. Also, once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Thanks for reading...Until next time.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-swZaKN2Ic&w=560&h=315]
Yorumlar