Week One of CVP and I'm Already Different

If you missed my last post, I have just started a 3-month online course called CVP which is short for Creative Visionary Program with Nicholas Wilton.CVP doesn't throw us right into painting - instead we are spending this week and next reflecting on what inspires us - not only artistically, but just in general - when do we feel happiest? We're also focusing about our attitudes to our own art and to art as a profession - and identifying the self-limiting beliefs that stop us going all in with our art.It's been eye-opening for me. During a discussion of studio spaces, I realized that my attitude to my studio was all wrong. I work in the room over our garage and it doubles as a guest bedroom a few times a year. It's needed for guests maybe 10 days a year because most of our friends and family live nearby - and yet I set the room up with guests in mind rather than in a way that suits my work. I have now changed that. This weekend, I moved everything around to give myself a big empty wall where I can hang several panels at once so that I don't need an easel. I now have lots of floor space, a corner to sit in and lots of art books and pictures around to inspire me.When guests come, they can stay in my studio, rather than me spending 254 days feeling like I am working in the guest bedroom.What's more, I will call it a studio instead of "the room over the garage."This kind of apologetic approach - fitting myself in around other people - does not just apply to my art-making. I do it all the time, in every situation. That needs to stop.My second realization was that I don't spend enough time on things that make me happy. I'm sure this is true for most people. I am currently making a list of the things that inspire me or make me feel good, and it's amazing how many of them are not a priority for me. I also have a feeling that if I made a list of the things that bring me down, I'd find I spend quite a lot of time and energy on some of them.Food for thought.While we are not actually painting on the course until week 3, I am already applying some of Nick's Art2Life principles to my work and I love the difference they make.This painting was coming along OK but it wasn't exciting enough. It's about a dramatic landscape filled with power, but the painting was pretty rather than powerful. So I worked on strengthening darks and lights, creating an interesting design, making a range of marks, and just playing without really worrying about the consequences. It's much stronger now.I'm excited to see what happens in week two of CVP. I'll keep you posted.Click here to read all my posts about CVP.Update: CVP is about to launch again in May 2020. The best news is that you can try it for free by taking a free workshop. There are a lot of people who give away free stuff in order to sell something bigger but this is different - you really do get tons of stuff for free whether or not you ever take the course. The free workshop is coming up soon (starts Feb 14th 2020) so sign up HERE to take advantage of free learning (and get a special invite to a private Facebook group I am running with my Art Juice co-host Alice Sheridan JUST for the duration of the workshop).