Do you struggle to make yourself paint? Has it been weeks (or months or years) since you picked up a paint brush? Do you feel a constant push and pull between wanting to make art and feeling that you don't know where to start?If so, you're not alone. I used to be just where you are and I now help others to kickstart their art-making and transform art from a cause of stress to a provider of real joy.Blog reader Denise describers her situation this way:

I’m constantly blocking myself and putting obstacles in the way. I don’t find the time to do any art these days…though I want to I just don’t know where to start and always feel its got be to pretty good whatever I do. I'm my own worse enemy.

The problem is this:You soul is calling you to make art, but your mind is trying to protect you. That's your mind's job - to protect you from getting hurt. It remembers things in your past that caused you pain and it doesn't want that to happen to you again. Maybe it's recalling the harsh words of a teacher, or the dismissive comments of a friend. Or maybe it's just recalling the times when you couldn't paint the way you wanted to.Whatever it's stuck on, it can all be solved with one simple mental shift: stop caring about the result.Think about it ... if you don't care what kind of painting you make, you are free to explore and experiment and discover new things. There's no longer anything to fear!So here are 3 exercises that will help you loosen up and have fun with paint.1. Make an Ugly PaintingThe only rules here are that you must try to make the worst painting you can!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hntZd5ItSwM2. Paint a Blind Abstract1. Gesso a large piece of paper or card.2. Use masking tape to mask off squares or rectangles3. Paint/draw/collage across the whole sheet of paper4. Have fun and make as many different marks as you can5. Peel off the tape and see what you have made.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPSEn4G_Sc03. Paint a Blind Abstract with Random ColoursDo exactly the same exercise, but this time use only a few colours.

1. Sort your colours into all your blues, all your reds and all your yellows, then close your eyes and pick one of each.
2. Add white and black
3. Paint another blind abstract using only these colours

There is only one ruleThe measure of success here is not whether you made a nice painting - the measure of success is whether you enjoyed the experience and learned something (for example, a new colour combination or a new way of making marks).Try these exercises and you will experience the joy of splashing paint around. If you're anything like me, you'll have so much fun that you get it on your hands and on your clothes and in your hair and all over the floor! In the process, you will learn new things and set yourself on a course of discovery.If you would like to learn how to get unstuck once and for all, sign up to be notified when I re-open my groundbreaking "Find Your Joy" course. Just CLICK HERE to learn more and scroll down to the form and fill in your details. I'll also send you some helpful tips and fun exercises in the meantime.