I Set a Goal to Paint Each Month in 2023. So How’s It Going?
A check-in and a friendly reminder to stop hoarding your art supplies
I’ve always been a bit of a hoarder when it comes to art supplies, stationery, stickers, and anything else that you can only really use once. I’d better have a really good plan for what I’m going to use, I figured, otherwise I’ll end up wasting it.
So it’s probably no surprise that I ended last year with a bunch of canvases and paint that I’d collected throughout the year. (Not to mention, plenty of stickers, magazine cutouts, and scrapbooking supplies for collages.) And much of it was left untouched because I was convinced my ideas weren’t “good enough.”
But at one point, I came across something that said we should use our “nice things.” You might have had grandparents who saved their fine china for “special occasions,” only to be reluctant to remove it from the cabinet when the holidays came around. Or maybe you had parents who said they’d “someday” take that vacation, only to reach their later years and be unable to travel.
Life is short. This line of thinking warns against saving that really amazing thing “for later” because later might never come. And stopping yourself from doing something because it won’t be “perfect” (or even “good,” perhaps) is a surefire way to never do anything at all.
In an attempt to whittle down my art supply collection, I set a goal for myself: use the stuff. There will always be more. I’m always finding more cool things, and if I don’t use what I already have, I’ll have to toss it out to make room eventually. (And since I like to keep things organized, I hate accumulating needless clutter.)
To use the stuff, I needed to set some kind of objective that I could track. It’s not enough for me to simply say “I should paint.” I needed to set a realistic yet specific goal with a deadline so I’d actually follow through.
I chose the goal of painting (with actual paints, on canvas) at least once a month. One painting per month. Easy, right?
So far, I’ve succeeded. But there are still five months left in the year. (I haven’t painted yet, on a canvas at least, for August.) This post is to show what I’ve done so far and keep me honest for the rest of the year.
Am I the best painter ever? Definitely not. Have I come up with anything earth-shattering, groundbreaking, or even visionary? Nope. But I’m painting. (And collaging, and maybe even drawing a bit.) It’s an art practice, not an art perfect.
One other thing I’ve done this year, even though it’s been a little scary, is share my work over on Instagram. I haven’t attracted any trolls (yet!) to tell me I suck as an artist, but thankfully I’m also at that point in my life where I give zero shits what strangers on the internet think. But putting myself out there as an amateur has required a new way of thinking — that yes, I am allowed to call myself an artist because I make art.
This year’s paintings so far, in order:
I started the year with a small (2”x2”) painting of Grogu for my husband as an early Valentine.
Next, I moved on to a still life inspired by the Wedgewood vase I have on my dining room table.
Then I painted two pictures that I submitted to 6x6, a local art show here in Rochester. (Read about that here. Also, this one is still for sale!)
In April, it was my Mom’s birthday, so I painted her some sunshine.
For May, I used one of the round canvases I bought last year. I worried if this was an “interesting” enough idea for this canvas, but I’m proud of the way this one turned out.
June: a miniature version of a larger rainbow vortex I painted a few years ago.
And this past month, I took an online class on art and mysticism with Hilma’s Ghost, an art collective from New York named for visionary Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. This mystical color wheel was the result of one of the exercises from the class.
Here are a few things that have helped me keep going with my painting goal:
Have a single idea you can keep iterating on: You can probably sense a theme with these: when in doubt, I paint rainbows. I’ve done them before. I have a whole set of them, surrounding a vintage color wheel poster, in our dining room. I used to tell myself I should come up with more original ideas, but if you have something you like to create, why shame yourself over it?
Make something for someone else: Half of the work I’ve done so far has gone to other people or causes. And who doesn’t love getting something handmade?
Take a class: It always helps to get an outside perspective. Even if you just look up creator TED Talks on YouTube, learning something new could lead you down a path of inspiration.
Use what you’ve got: Friendly reminder: use your art supplies. Don’t wait until you have the best idea ever. You can always get more supplies later. (And if you’re like me, you’ll end up with more anyway.) And who knows? You might surprise yourself by making something you really love.
How are you doing on your creative goals so far this year? Or are you ready to set some new ones? Leave a comment below.