Great post! I think the crucial point is to establish a method and then, once you’ve explored its nuances and understand the results it yields, to adjust aspects of it to see how those changes impact the outcomes. Of course, it’s never as simple as adopting one fixed approach—if it were, we'd be producing masterpieces every time we stepped up to the easel. While having no method might seem appealing to those who equate creativity with complete freedom, approaching each painting session without consistency makes it difficult to discern which actions led to successful or unsatisfactory results.
This applies equally to evaluating your work. If you’re a creative who views judgment as something restrictive, it will be challenging to recognise which elements of the method contributed to stronger or weaker outcomes. So, while it’s essential to have a method, there isn’t a single ‘correct’ one. What matters most is awareness of your approach and the readiness to adapt it thoughtfully, allowing it to evolve and, ideally, lead to better results over time.
Thanks for this, Harry. I do find that sometimes I get caught up in processes that aren’t serving well anymore. It’s good to be reminded now and then that I am not a painting robot and to trust my ability to switch things up and still be able to find the ‘thread.’ I use parchment as a palette as well - sometimes I add some damp paper towel underneath, which helps keep paint wet during long painting sessions.
I'm finding that spraying the 70% rubbing alcohol onto the paints just before I cap the container at the end of a session is really working is keeping the paints mold free. I'm actually surprised it works so well.
Great post! I think the crucial point is to establish a method and then, once you’ve explored its nuances and understand the results it yields, to adjust aspects of it to see how those changes impact the outcomes. Of course, it’s never as simple as adopting one fixed approach—if it were, we'd be producing masterpieces every time we stepped up to the easel. While having no method might seem appealing to those who equate creativity with complete freedom, approaching each painting session without consistency makes it difficult to discern which actions led to successful or unsatisfactory results.
This applies equally to evaluating your work. If you’re a creative who views judgment as something restrictive, it will be challenging to recognise which elements of the method contributed to stronger or weaker outcomes. So, while it’s essential to have a method, there isn’t a single ‘correct’ one. What matters most is awareness of your approach and the readiness to adapt it thoughtfully, allowing it to evolve and, ideally, lead to better results over time.
Thanks for your great thoughts, Alex!
Thanks for this, Harry. I do find that sometimes I get caught up in processes that aren’t serving well anymore. It’s good to be reminded now and then that I am not a painting robot and to trust my ability to switch things up and still be able to find the ‘thread.’ I use parchment as a palette as well - sometimes I add some damp paper towel underneath, which helps keep paint wet during long painting sessions.
I'm finding that spraying the 70% rubbing alcohol onto the paints just before I cap the container at the end of a session is really working is keeping the paints mold free. I'm actually surprised it works so well.