How Embracing Imperfection Will Boost Your Creativity

Written by Guest Author: Tien Frogget

One of the major keys to being a more creative individual and allowing your inner creative voice to speak is to let go of self-criticism and embrace imperfection.

I know exactly how to feels to look at the creative work of other people and become dejected - even after the successes that I've had, I still (frequently) see others work that just wows me and after I get past the beauty of if I start comparing it to my own work and instantly feel smaller.  I think, "I could never be that good!" or, "I like their style better than mine!"  And on really bad days I'll think things like, "Why even bother trying?  If they're already doing it, then what's the point of me trying to do it, too?  The world doesn't need another photographer."  And then I look at my work and remember that's exactly the reason why I should.

If I had given up the first time that I had that thought, my work would never have evolved and improved and become what it is today. And it certainly would never have had the chance to become what it will be tomorrow.

There are tons of people out there that don't like my work!  And that's totally okay.  Because for every person that doesn't there's another that does.  That's the greatest gift of art: it is completely personal. Your work will not be loved by everyone.  But it will be loved by some, and that's what matters.  You have captured just a little more beauty and you've done it through your own eyes and you've helped make someone else's world to be more beautiful because of it.

Every great artist, writer, photographer, and creative person has to start at the beginning.  How quickly we advance all depends on how much time we spend doing what we love -and how much time we spend loving what we do.

Imagine if Ansel Adams had taken a few rolls of film on his very first camera, and when he developed them, he said "Well these aren't very good.  I must not be cut out to be a photographer," and then he quit!  Can you imagine the world without his stunning landscapes?  I can't either.  But you know what?  He had to start where we all started: trial and error.  Imagine if they made a book out of all his bad photographs.  Doesn't happen, does it?  But people don't realize that even he took bad photos all the time, too.  They just don't get any publicity. He continued to take pictures because he loved to.

Change the way you talk to yourself about your abilities.

This one takes a little effort if you're used to looking at your work and feeling your heart sink and frequently think thoughts like, "See?  You suck!  Everyone else out there is so much better than you.  You're just not improving fast enough."  Changing the way you think is the second most important thing you can do to improve, after practice.

• Give yourself permission to create endless bad things.
• Remind yourself that anything you don't like can go in the trash and you will never have to look at it again.
• When you are feeling frustrated, remind yourself that even creative geniuses create things that they don't like; in fact, they are often their own worst critics.
• You might not be seeing your work as it actually is, but through your own "not good enough" filters.  It might be better than you think.
• Remember that you are only going to get better.
• Try to create when you are in a really good mood.  This doesn't mean make excuses to not go out if you're in a bad mood, it just means that if you're feeling great and you have time, go create something.  When you are feeling good, you will automatically be more creative.  (Seriously!  I'm not kidding about this one!)

Making Ugly is Good.

One of the smartest people I know (aka Mom) is a professional artist and a teacher.  There have been countless times I have gone to her after drawing a particularly ugly picture or trying to take a photo that doesn't turn out, completely frustrated because it didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. She always reminds me, "When you're making a lot of ugly, it's a sure sign that you're about to have a breakthrough."

A lot of people quit when they're not doing as good as they think they should be doing, because they take it as a sign that they must be bad. But the truth is, that's just how the learning curve works. Every time I create something new and brilliant and wonderful, I always take a look at what I created right before (if I haven't thrown it away already) - and it's usually especially terrible!

But isn't that good to know?  Next time you don't like what you're creating, don't get mad at yourself for not being better. Instead, remember this and take it as a sign that good things are in the works.  "Making ugly" is like the creative brain's way of rearranging and reordering itself to make room for new pathways and new ways of doing things. Work through it, and watch what you create in the next day or so.  You might just be pleasantly surprised.

Understanding Color: White is Everything BUT White

White Vase Artificial Light

Why White, Isn't
White is affected by the light in which it is bathed and by the colors of objects that surround it. A white object reflects the colors within its environment.

In fact, all colors reflect the other colors in their environment, and all colors change according to the lighting - and so should your paintings.

Confused?
Consider a white vase. Drenched in warm artificial light from a lamp, it will appear yellow or unnaturally warm.

The white may even pick up shades of pink and orange along with the slight yellowness.

White Vase in Sunshine

White Vase in Shade

Take the white vase (or any white object of your choice) outside on a clear blue sky day.

The white now appears bluish or cool in comparison to the indoor white. Sunlight striking the white vase is usually warm, but we are comparing it now to the indoor light.

Next place your white object into full shade and study the changes of lighting. The lighting will appear cooler than the vase in full sun.

Now move it into half shade, half sun and watch what happens.

Pay attention to the different values within the shadow areas. Notice whether your white has a yellow quality or a blue quality.
 
Finally, hold it next to a red flowering bush. Look closely. The white will reflect the green from the bush and the red from the flowers.

White Reflecting Red

Tint That White
Tinting your white, whether it’s the paint from the tube or the white of your paper, will give your whites life and vibrancy. Save the pure white for your highlights and those highlights will pop.

Study white objects and notice the value changes. Place color next to the white and watch how the white reflects the color (you might also notice how the color reflects the white).

It's all these subtle integrations of color within color, within color within color, that painters add into their work to create that alive look. It takes a lot of looking to start seeing all of the other colors within a base or local color. The more you do this, the more you will see.

Why You Should Always Start with a Fresh Palette

When you begin a new oil painting session and are using oils or water soluable oils, set yourself up for success by starting with a fresh palette.

What do I mean by Fresh Palette?
Begin with a clean palette and NEW paint.

Why? Imagine this...

When you are 'In the Flow' of painting, you are at your most creative. You are open and creatively observing your subject. Your progression from subject, to palette, to canvas should move freely in order to maintain your momentum. You are in what I call a 'Seeing' mode.

You clearly know your next move. You have made a decision as to the next color and value, where you want to place it on your painting. You can feel with all your being, the right strokes you intend your brush to make. You're excited and anticipating the perfect effect.

You are holding all of this in a charged hyper focus. You reach to your palette and dip into paint – and it's dry and/or sticky or .... gone. Gone as in: you didn't mix enough paint at the beginning of your session - or perhaps you didn't mix it at all.

SLAM! You've brought all your flowing creative juices to a screeching halt.

You start searching to find the paint that is moist - failing that, you dig in your paint box seeking appropriate tube or tubes, look for a clear area to place more on your palette, scan your work area for your palette knife to mix.... uh.... what was it you were going to do?

Sound familiar?

By this time you have forgotten your initial inspiration.

What are you afraid of wasting?
Are you afraid of wasting your precious, expensive, investment of paint?

Because what you're actually wasting is 

your precious time,

patience, creativity and growth.

Which is harder to come by?

Which has more value?

SOLUTION
Transfer any usable paint from your previous session to the new palette surface. Add new paint and create enough of your mixes to cover the area that you plan to work on during this session.

Put plenty of paint out on a your palette. Mix enough of what you'll need. How much is enough? If you are constantly running out of your mixes, this could be a clue!

Stay away from using paint that has started to harden or grow sticky as the bonding action between paint and canvas occurs during the drying process. If drying has already started, you lose some of the strength of the paint layer. This will lessen the archival quality of your piece.

You also end up with chunks of dried paint in your brush, on your palette knife and stuck to your canvas. Unless you are going for this effect, picking out the dried chunks can become annoying. Chunks add texture (which catches ambient light) and if your overall painting style is one of smoothness, those chunks are really going to show up.


When you are through with your session, pull leftover paint into small piles and place a few drops of appropriate oil on each pile. Cover your palette with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. If you find that it gets flattened by all your other frozen goods, place it inside a shallow container. It'll keep for weeks.

Here is a good size oil painting palette from Amazon: (click to read more)