It's time!

Gosh I love this time of year! Not because of the amazing weather (we have none in the UK this year) but because I am about to start teaching a free live course that I only do once a year.

Yes, it's time for the Find Your Joy taster course, an annual event that always changes lives - not least mine!

I can't tell you what teaching means to me. I am not one of those artists who needs privacy to create - in fact, I'm the opposite. I need to be teaching and sharing and explaining. When I do those things, my own creativity goes into overdrive.

It has taken me years to learn this, but I was reminded again this week. After recording course demos, I suddenly had a burst of inspiration and made a start on a large painting that I already love.

Before I tell you more, get your name on the list for the free course so you don't miss anything. As soon as you sign up, you'll get course details and a materials list. We begin on August 29th, so you'll want these few weeks to prepare.

CLICK HERE to sign up.

So, about that painting ... I have had a large canvas in my studio for a few months. I made some initial marks on it, but then had no idea what to do next. I no longer felt like working in pink, but I had no idea what to do instead.

Then two things happened. The first was that I began to photograph the sky in Cumbria, where I am working on creating a new workshop space. This is spacious and wild country, where the skies seem to go on forever, and where the clouds and light create ever-shifting sky "paintings."

The second thing that happened was that I recorded some colour mixing demos for my Art Tribe group using only two complementary colours plus black and white. 

One of the palettes I chose gave me some beautiful shades of grey and muted greens, as well as some lovely shades and tints of the two original colours (cad orange and cobalt blue).

And this is the thing about teaching - no matter what I start to explain, I always learn something new myself, Suddenly I knew what to do with that ugly painting - I wanted to cover everything up using my leftover complementary colours. And so I went to town. I used a trowel, some clothes, a sponge, and I even used a piece of paper to apply the paint. Anything but my usual brushes. I was so in flow that I didn't realise two hours had passed.

Without even knowing it, I had begun to paint an abstracted idea of the skies I've been seeing - or at least the feeling of them. How cool is that?!

I didn't make a finished painting, but that is hardly ever the point for me. I made something that lit me up inside, and that has sparked several new ideas for my next pieces, and THAT is what I'm always chasing.

I think many artists try hard all the time to make good paintings. They see a 'good' end result as the goal and yet I think the end result is the least interesting thing about painting. If we simply finish something, all we have is a painting. What we really want as artists is to be constantly inspired so we can make lots of things that we really love, and so that we never run out of ideas.

Following the feeling of flow is the key to this. If we only do things we really enjoy, and if we stop doing anything we don't like, we are constantly motivated and inspired (who doesn't want to do things they love?) What's more, doing things we love requires us to keep making choices ... I know I love that. I know I don't like that. And each choice we make brings us closer to our own true self.

I am often asked 'how do I find my own art style?' and this is the answer. You simply follow the things that make you feel good. 

If you want to see what this looks like in practice, come join the free taster course and find out!