"Reflections"mixed media,layered resin on clear acrylic box canvas
8 1/2" x 11"
original and giclees available at etsy
But, what I didn't share with her was the fact that every time I did paint, or make jewelry...everything seemed to get botched up. And I mean, physically and technically botched up...not the kind of botched up where you are not happy with something aesthetically. It's one thing to not be happy with the colors of a painting, or the composition. These are things that you can usually change. I am talking about when something technically goes haywire and you really mess things up to the point that it's sometimes not recoverable.
I've been having way to many of those kinds of things happening lately. And let me tell you...it is a downer. There is nothing that makes you question yourself more, than when you fail at something repeatedly.
I recently shared with you the painting that was ruined because I got the torch to close to the resin.
And then I had jewelry problems with the new jewelry line that I created. I had even sold bracelets and couldn't fulfill the orders because suddenly they kept getting botched up. I couldn't even send the winner of the Karma giveaway #7 her bracelet, because not one would come out right. I felt awful. (I took this photo before the final varnish to cut down on reflections...big mistake.)
But one of the bracelet customers kept telling me, "Good things are worth waiting for and I am OK with it so stop your fretting! ". I wish I could say that I immediately stopped worrying about it...but I had to read it about 10 times a day...to stop stressing over it.
I'm a professional degreed artist....I've trained with a master jeweler from Neiman Marcus for 6 years! What the heck was wrong with me?
And then I got to thinking about it...in my years of college and post graduate work...not once did we work with resin. In the years that I trained with one of the top jewelers in the southeast...we didn't even touch upon the type of jewelry work that I've been tackling.
This was new and uncharted territory. There were no books on the subjects. And there was very limited information via the internet. Why was I being so hard on myself?
So...I started thinking about it differently. I started praising myself for all the knowledge I had gained throughout the years...and praising myself for reaching towards new undiscovered heights in my artistic journey. I praised myself for being brave and diligent.
Road bumps and obstacles are to be expected whenever you tackle something new...no matter what experience or tools you have in your back pocket.
I'm happy to say that the resin and jewelry problems were slowly conquered. And you know what...I learned so much from the experiences. Although frustrating and humiliating....I know now that it was the path that I needed to take...to create something that far exceeded my initial expectations.
The new painting above, "Reflections" was a direct result of this learning process. After a coat of resin, I forgot and left the painting outside overnight. It was a bit of a chilly night, and it caused the resin to have some fogging across her face. I thought I botched it up...and put it aside. Throughout this process, I kept walking past this "messed up" painting and each time I did...I thought it looked more and more beautiful. The fogging looked more like lace, and I started to really appreciate its beauty.
So, I picked up the painting again and continued to work with it. I showered it with good positive thoughts...and quickly disregarded any thoughts that came into my head about how stupid I was to leave it overnight. I think it worked...actually I know it worked and I'm extremely pleased.
So give yourself a break whenever you try something new. Get rid of the inner critic...and praise yourself for trying something new. Love your mistakes and shortcomings....because great things will come out of it...and you know what...
Great things are worth waiting for....
And if you need to get a little more inspiration...watch this video:
It is a must watch.
And if you're interested in trying something new....my online classes are 15% off this week. The sale price is not posted, and will be refunded through PayPal. You can check out the classes here. (New classes will be announced soon, and there will be a 15% thank you discount on the new classes, if you have taken one of my previous classes). Sorry for the promotion after such a heartfelt video, but our new family member, Tokyo comes home this Saturday. Here's his latest pic:
And for this week's giveaway.....I'll be giving away a giclee of "Reflections". Here's what you need to do to win:
Leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered. Only one comment per person, please. I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner the following Tuesday evening at 11pm EST. I'll announce the winner of the previous week's giveaway, and we will start the next giveaway. Just enter a comment below...and send lots of positive thoughts and prayers my way. That's all you have to do. And if you want to know more about the giveaway and how it came about...click here. But remember....you need to leave a comment on this post to be entered in the current week's contest. :)
I'll pick a winner, next Thursday. Have a great week everyone.
I'm off to see what I can botch up this week. LOL
Love,
Wyanne
PS. Tonight, at 7pm Central time, watch my fellow artist friend Jonathan "Blade" Manning (The Artistic Biker) try a new technique live inspired by my resin technique. I'm going to try and join in via my webcam...so it should be fun! Click here to go to his site and more information.