2015 was such a dynamic and beautiful year – but it sure taught me a lot about myself and my artwork! I’m excited to see what 2016 brings. Here’s to a big and beautiful year! #doitfortheprocess
Each year I like to glance back on the things I learned (big and small). Here are some of the things 2015 taught me:
1. Sign up for a lot – maybe more than you think you can handle/create. It’s amazing to see yourself rise to the occasion and create work you are proud of.
2. Also, put into the world ONLY work you are proud of. If you don’t like it, treat it like a practice piece and don’t let it define you. Practicing can look messy and imperfect and that’s healthy and good!
3. Rest. I think I learned this the hard way (again?) this year. Creativity can only work on a refreshed mind. You can work long hours, pull all-nighters, but creativity in the long haul needs time of intentional rest.
4. Do you. Tends are awesome and exciting, but if you follow them you will be fake and it’s really hard to live with fake-you.
5. Speak up when you need to (through your art, writing, and your words). This can be hard for mostly visual people, but your voice extends beyond the canvas.
6. Be committed to the process, not the end product. Creativity is a long and often difficult “job”. Aiming towards the completion of a piece is beautiful, but fall in love with the physical process of creating. It will sustain you over the years.
7. Fall in love with color. It is unbelievably complex and reacts with life so uniquely.
8. Don’t let your work or creations define you. You are so much more than the thing you create and your worth is absolutely NOT defined by its value or merit.
9. Buy bigger canvases.
10. Most people at amazing and so encouraging, but also listen to people who offer negative or contradictory feedback. — But be consistent in your viewpoint. If you allow others to become the voice in your head then you have lost your perspective.
12. Stop to take photos every day that you create. They are such beautiful reminders of both large accomplishments and small wonderful moments. It’s amazing how fast we forget otherwise!
What have you learned this past year? Do you have a “theme” for 2016? I would love to hear!
xo,
beautifulhelloblog.com 
Reblogged this on cheleneblog and commented:
This is so precisely how this year will need to look for me… beautifully contrived!
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Nice post! 🙂
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Those are all wonderful lessons! Some stuff I really needed to hear it. 🙂
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great lessons and tips. Thanks for sharing!
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I loved to see this, thank you for sharing!
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Love this! All the best for a fulfilling year.
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It feels good to finally realize some of these. Great post!
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Beautiful and honest! No fillers, straight to the point!
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Nice one.
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Lovely post!
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Your words are inspiring…beautifully said.
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Love your list. Like art itself, it draws you in and makes you think. Curious about #11. Did you want to see if we were paying attention or did you delete it for some other reason? Thank you for sharing.
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Awesome list.
#9 Buy bigger canvases. What brought you to this conclusion? I saw your most recent Instagram photo and that’s how I ended up here. You mentioned painting on a bigger canvas. The biggest I’ve used is 20×20, but I think of going bigger.
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Reblogged this on An Artist's Block and commented:
I can definitely resonate with this. I’ve learned a few of these things in the past year as my graphic design business grew.
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i love the buy bigger canvases advice and am definitely thinking that way too. Your blog is extremely beautiful!
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Lovely Post! Good chance!
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Buy bigger canvases. ❤
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Reblogged this on and commented:
Its so warming to see that other people are in the same position & felt so connected to the word. This post is literally my mind in a digitally printed format!
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Thanks I enjoyed this piece. What paint do you use? Oil? Well as an artist I have learned the same you lit here but what stands out the most is the need to post the pieces that are not so good but yet they have been the most I am proud of. I create tons of skillshare projects and I look back and see how much I have grown an need to continue. Posting my not so good work allows me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the not so good ones. For some reason I want to share this journey no matter how humble it may be. I want to build an organic audience with my words and color(I am a letterer and watercolor artist.
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Nice post and great work
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So glad to have discovered DoItForTheProcess! After leaving the workforce last June, to paint full time, I learned many of the same lessons. 2,3, and 5 particularly resonate with me. About eight years ago I began an artistic journey, which I could never have done without the generous souls who reached out, encouraged, and instructed me along the way. Recently I decided to use words to communicate more and started a blog about my process/insight/learningcurve, in the hope that I might help even one aspiring artist out there, just as so many helped me.
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