Happy New Year! I took the last few days “off” from my daily drawing and painting, but I’m gearing up to spend every day in January painting the beach.
I did spend a day or two getting a head start on this project. But there were more days where I thought about getting started but – without actually approaching the paints and paper – I didn’t know where to begin and quickly lost all motivation. Last month Marion who joined me in theย Christmas countdown wrote – about following my prompts -that she liked not having to think about what to draw.
This really stuck with me and as I looked over the last two months, first following World Watercolor Group’s food prompts and then my own Christmas prompts, I realized how right Marion was. It makes it so much easier to not have to think about what to paint. Instead I would immediately jump to how I would interpret that prompt. Often I’d check the prompt the night before and have a plan when I started in the morning.
This week I struggled with motivating myself because even though I knew I wanted to paint the beach, I wasn’t sure how to get started. The “beach” is too broad. To overcome this stumbling block I wrote myself a prompt list for every day in January.
Focusing on painting the beach is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. For some reason I haven’t been able to do it beyond a painting here or there. When I saw how much I accomplished in November and December by following one theme each month I knew committing myself this month was part of the solution. That and telling YOU. Just like 3 years ago when I started this blog and told you I’m going to be creative on a regular basis. You hold me accountable and help me reach my goals. So thank you. ๐
What are your creative plans for the new year?
January 1, 2017 at 3:36 pm
My creative plan is to continue making my vector portraits and ink portraits as well as exploring new styles and mediums.
January 1, 2017 at 8:46 pm
Looking forward to seeing what you create! Happy New Year Paul
January 13, 2017 at 3:24 pm
I’m planning to follow other people’s prompts again: I’m so grateful for the creative kick that your advent challenge gave me!
January 13, 2017 at 4:17 pm
That’s great! You motivated me! I couldn’t not do it if someone else was following the prompts I made up! ๐ Looking forward to seeing what you create in 2017 ๐