The Gap

This quote is from the American author Ira Glass:

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

This!I wish someone had told me this 5 years ago when I returned to making art after years and years away.I knew what I wanted to create, but I couldn't do it. Instead of seeing this as normal and natural, I decided it meant that I had no talent. Or at least not enough talent to ever make the kind of work I admired.And because I felt this way, I stayed safe. I didn't have enough talent to do bold things.And because I felt this way, I looked outside myself for inspiration. I didn't have enough talent to look inwards for ideas.And so I spent too many years making work that was less than ....Less than I was capable of, and less than I deserved.If I had known about the gap, I think I would have pushed through it with much more confidence. Each poorly executed painting would have been one more positive step leading to the work I wanted to make.If you find yourself with a gap at the moment, I hope you can read and internalize this wonderful quote from Ira Glass.The answer to your problem doesn't come from browsing paintings on Instagram or Pinterest - that will only lead to poor copycat paintings that leave you feeling disappointed. And it doesn't come from limiting yourself to mediums or styles that feel 'safe,'  like only drawing because you're afraid of colour (I did that!) or sticking to watercolour because you're afraid of acrylics (I did that too!).No, the answer comes from accepting your current limitations and then working. Making painting after painting after painting, with no negative judgment only an open heart and a curious mind.I one took a painting class where almost everyone was a beginner. The teacher encouraged experimentation but the beginners were scared. "Can I use a big brush?" one asked.  "Try it and see what happens," our teacher answered. "Do you think this would look good with some red in it?" another said. "Try it and see what happens," came the answer. "Can you use ink with watercolour?" ... "Try it and see what happens."The only question the beginner needs is "What happens if I ...?"Each time you try something and fail, you are a step closer to learning what works.And each time you try something that you like, you have added another tool to your bad of tricks.