“Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.” Napoleon Hill
I’ve been keeping an art journal for over 20 years, filling up three notebooks in the process. My journal isn’t filled with sketches and drawings for paintings, it’s a chronicle or diary, in which I verbalize what I want my paintings to express, how I want them to look, and ideas I’ve gleaned from reading art books or from studying the work of other artists. It’s also where I identify and keep track of my wants and goals, things I love, and my “missing links” – those obstacles that I feel are preventing me from achieving my goals. My art journal has proved to be one of my most valuable tools for becoming a better artist.
Often, we paint the way we do unconsciously. Or we paint the way we do simply because that’s the way we were taught, and we never stop to think about whether or not our painting methods genuinely suit our personalities and will deliver the kinds of paintings we truly want to create. Our instructors may have told us not to worry about our personal painting style - it will show up all by itself. I disagree. I believe that we can – and indeed should – take responsibility for actively heading our art in the direction we want it to take.
In order to move our art in a more personal direction we will have to make a connection between our intentions and our actions. For example, if I want to paint in an Impressionistic style (intent), but my focus is on accuracy and realism when I draw and paint (action), I’m probably heading in the wrong direction. Here’s how I would adapt the Deliberate Practice model of expertise I wrote about in Part 6 of this series to move my art in an Impressionistic direction.
I would:
- Read and research Impressionism to learn everything I can about the vision, concepts and theories behind the work (biographical and historical information are not relevant here – save that for another time).
- List my findings. This list relates to what the Impressionists were thinking about when they looked at their subject matter and how they used the elements of picture making: – shape, value, color, line, texture, space, composition (and the rest of the list I referred to in Part 5 of this series) to communicate their vision and concepts.
- Make a list of my “missing links” – obstacles that are preventing me from taking my art in the Impressionistic direction I desire and areas that are beyond my current level of competence along with things that haven’t even been on my radar screen until I did my reading and research.
Journaling is a great starting point. Write extensively about your wants and desires for your work. Pour your heart out. Get to the bottom line of where you really want to take your art. Ask yourself big questions. Questions like:
-Where do I really want to go with my art?
-What will it take to get to where I want to go?
-What is preventing me from getting to where I want to go?
-How can I become competent in the skills I need to get to where I want to go?
-Who can help me identify the skills I need and provide feedback about what else I might be missing?
-Am I willing to do the difficult work it takes to learn these new skills?
-What specific activities will help me learn these new skills?
One of my favorite quotes is by T. S. Eliot, who wrote, “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can really go.”
How far do you really want to go with your art?
Are you headed in the right direction?
Happy Painting!
Hi Donna, I am enjoying this serious of articles. You’ve given me much to think about. Thanks and I appreciate your generosity for sharing!
I also keep a journal that’s just about art and I refer to mine as studio journals. Mine also includes sketches and plans in the form of lists and mind maps, and even questions. But I hadn’t gotten to the questions that you propose which require an attitude of focused deliberation and because of that my focus is too wide, with too many paths leading in all directions.
Each time I watch your DVD I get more from it but the best things is to deliberately take photographs of groups of people which can then be turned into designs for paintings…. and of course your tutorials on how to do that. My own interest is in landscape collage and I’ve found that your advice applies to that, too.
So now I’ll sit down with my journal and ask myself your questions and see if I can choose my next path, and stay on it. Actually I may need two pathways and jump from one to another. Does that work?
Thank you for being so generous to other artists. We appreciate you.
Donna, I am so happy that I found your blog! I love your paintings, they are so full of life and just reach out and grab you. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas, and methods.
Hi Cissy, – Thank you for visiting and for you kind words.
Hi Jo,
Sounds like your art journal is a lot like mine. I started asking myself questions many years ago and found that by writing them down I unconsciously started searching for the answers. In the 20 years plus that I’ve been doing that, I see that some questions were answered and some are still being processed. Fascinating! It’s great to have a record of my artist’s journey over the years.
I love that you have connected my process to landscape collage – the things that are important in putting together a painting apply to all subjects.
And – concerning the idea of choosing two pathways and jumping from one to another – great idea! That’s a way to try out two totally different visions. The good thing about doing it in “deliberate practice mode” is that you will be focused when you are working on either idea.
Thanks for your comments and adding to the conversation!
Hi Peggy – good to hear from you and thanks for your comment.
I am really enjoying reading your series, just over halfway through now.
A journal about my feelings painting! what an idea!
I totally agree with you about the journaling AND taking an active role in where my art is headed. I have been doing 30 minute studies for over a year now, and find that this exercise has totally improved my artwork at maximum speed. My usual media is using markers, because the 30 minute time span seems too short for watercolor, my usual media. Thanks for a great article. I took a workshop from you in Minneapolis, and totally loved it!
I forgot to say that these 30 minute studies are done EVERY day, with NO EXCUSES. I only missed 4 days so far, and that was because I totally forgot.