A Blank Canvas

I have been painting for over seven years now and I still get the same nervous energy from a blank canvas. I have to admit, I have several blank canvases I am reluctant to put a mark on. I have a love/hate relationship with the blank canvas and many times (like I mentioned in my last post) end up in the land of creative misfits.

The Blank Canvas….

Most of the time I have some type of plan. I have some type of visioning in my head that I want to interpret onto the canvas. However, a lot of times that vision struggles to translate. Either my skill level just isn’t there yet, what I see is too complex or I am just not in that zone today. I start something and then my mind quickly shifts - my original plans adjust and then I get lost. All of these things happen when I approach a blank canvas. I just get scared to make that first mark. Sometimes I feel that this first mark dictates the entire painting journey.

Sometimes I get in the zone…

Occasionally the stars align and the journey just flows. The beginning mark flows into several and the story magically transforms without incident. I have to tell you this doesn’t happen all the time.

Does this canvas story translate to our actual lives…..

I mean we could relate. Many things we do or strive to do become our blank canvas - the so called clean slate. A new job, new home, new surroundings, starting a new project, meeting new people - we can keep going with these “life canvas” situations. We nervously step forward. Will we screw it up with our first word or action? Will others look at us as dumb and unintelligent? Will we take out first step and fall on our faces? Sometimes things just align and flow forward, many times we face obstacles and fear. A blank canvas can be really scary. But like making our first mark - we must take that first step. I mean if we screw up that first mark on our canvas - we can cover it up. If we fall on our face - we can get back up, brush it off and make that second step and keep going.

So let’s return to that blank canvas…

So how do I deal with that nervous first mark on my blank canvas? Well depending on the feeling, I can close my eyes, dip the brush in paint and just do it! I always tell my students “the less you think about it, the better.” I let the brush do the work - I just step back and invite the creativity. Once the first mark is made, I continue on - making additional marks - getting better and more confident as each new brush stroke hits the canvas. I invite my Intuitive Flow to emerge. Blessing the canvas, activating the canvas - bringing life. In this case, there is no plan. It just happens. The canvas and brush do the work - I step back and listen.

I step back and observe….

What do I see? Is there a story emerging from this Intuitive Flow? No, I keep going, Yes, I look for the story and begin my plan.

This is my Creative Process….

The blank canvas has been defeated and creativity flourishes throughout the process.

How do you deal with The Blank Canvas?