Making Art as a Chronic Perfectionist

It's tough to make art when you're hounding yourself to "make it good, make it amaaazinng". Ask me about it @.@

But look at the amazing artists who freely scribble and add random washes of color! Each piece so unapologetically glorious in all its imperfection.

That's what this one is about. The bird is inspired by the illustrator Luis Mendo who I've been following for years. I love the rough ease with which he draws. Do check him out!

There's an amazing book about clearing creative blocks called The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Here's what its author Julia Cameron says about perfectionism:
"Perfectionism is the ego’s wicked demand. It denies us the pleasure of process. Instead, we are told by the ego that we must have instantaneous success— and our perfectionism believes it, lock, stock and barrel. Perfectionism tells us that to push ahead, we must be perfect. And yet, it is often perfectionism that stalls us and keeps us from moving ahead at all. Perfectionism is the opposite of humility, which allows us to move slowly and steadily forward, making and learning from our mistakes. Perfectionism says do it “right”— or not at all."

What's the antidote? How are we chronic perfectionists to move forward? By letting ourselves be. We are enough as we are. Allowing that in our artistic expression, trusting our selves as we make art (go through life).

Hey Gugu, I tell myself, let your hand move freely over the page. Let it make what it wants to make. Listen to your heart. It's asking you to make some random flowers in that corner. Don't argue or reason, thinking of composition rules or what that other artist does. Just make them. Allow yourself out.