Small encaustic abstracts can be like little gifts to my creativity. By working small, I can forgive myself in advance for all the mistakes I am going to make. It allows me to set aside the worry of “wasting supplies” or “wasting my time.” These are the things that the little devil of self-doubt whispers in my ear.
I realized I have been highly photo-dependent for the last few years. This is a natural result of painting at odd times, to accommodate being a parent of two little awesome girls and wanting to paint long-distance hiking adventures. Photography has been such a blessing for me, able to whip out a photo at 4 am if needed. However, I started to lose my ability to see things in my mind’s eye and bring them forth. Like a muscle, if not used, atrophies.
“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” ―
A few small encaustic abstracts were a great way for me to embrace the dive back into exercising this artistic muscle. Their abstract nature helped free me up from details. Once we get too realistic we are really inviting our minds to be very critical. “Does this look like a ____?” We start to get fussy. Fussy is never good. It’s fussy. (To be clear, photorealistic artwork isn’t “fussy” it is realism.) See this post “How to Stop Fussing While Painting” to learn more about breaking free from the fuss.
How do you jumpstart from stuck?