How to Find Joy in Making Your Art

"I don't find painting to be joyful," Sarah said to me. "I find it to be a huge stress."This was in response to a post I had made on Facebook and I know Sarah isn't alone.For some people, painting feels so stressful that they avoid it altogether. If this is you, there always seems to be an excuse for not picking up those brushes. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and pretty soon, you are telling people that you used to paint.This is totally understandable. We all avoid things we don't enjoy (I have been avoiding updating my expenses for over a month now!) but it's such a shame.Because, unlike accounting, art-making has the potential to be inherently joyful. For everyone.What's getting in the Way?To overcome this, you need to identify what's getting in your way.Almost always, it will be judgement - your own or other peoples'.Perhaps you worry that if you don't make 'good' paintings, others will laugh at you. Perhaps you hate the sarcastic comments your spouse makes. Or maybe the judgements come from inside you ... that nasty, belittling voice that asks "who do you think you are anyway?" and tells you that you'll never be good enough.But what if you could escape all that?How to tip it all upside downInstead of aiming to impress (yourself or other people), what if you set out only with the intention to express.What if you dropped the desire to make a 'good' painting, and focused instead on expressing all that is inside you?And what if you accepted that what's inside will not always be pretty, and just aimed instead for always making it honest?And here's the twistWhen you do this - when you dedicate your art time to expression without any fear of judgement - your art gets better all by itself.You start to make powerful work. And you start to see that a painting can be judged as "bad' by one person and still make a strong emotional impact on others. The positive comments start to come. The sales start to happen.And more important than all that, your confidence starts to grow because when you make art that truly feels like you and see that others embrace it, you feel amazing.Does this sound too simple?It's perhaps not easy - but it is simple. Honest art - art that comes from your soul - resonates with other people. Not with ALL other people, but with some - with enough.And the only thing stopping you from making that art is YOU.It's the thinking. It's the worrying. It's the stressing out about ruining something.It's the procrastination.It's buying new art supplies instead of using the ones you have.It's tightening up when you start to get something you like.It's mimicking others instead of making your own work.It's comparing yourself to other artists and then getting depressed.It's all that STUFF going round in your head!Let's shake things up...Come and join me for a one-week mini-course between August 2nd and August 10th. For 8 days I will be there to inspire you, set assignments, answer questions, and help you get past all that negative stuff.This is for you if you feel stuck with your work.It's for you if you feel bored with what you're making.It's for you if you avoid going into your studio.It's for you if you want to stretch yourself.It's for you if you want to try abstract or if you want to paint realistically.It's for you if you're a beginner and it's also for you if you've been painting for years.The private Facebook group opens on July 26th so that we can start to get to know each other. Sign up now and I will invite you once we're ready to start.PS: If you have any problems signing up, just shoot me an email and I will add you myself.