How to Start Painting (For Everyone)

Over-coming psychological barriers to painting

Inspiration is the first step in over-coming any blocks you may have about starting a painting. Start your own folder of inspiration. It may be that you only paint one or two of the pictures in there, but every single one of them that you liked enough to add, is an important inspiration.

Every time you stop and admire a painting or an image, save it. There is something in that attraction that speaks to your own heart.

Pinterest is a fantastic source of inspiration, however you can easily become over-whelmed and lose yourself in the process. Having your own hard copies of pieces you have found, keeps you grounded and on your own track.

Your heart connection is what starts your painting

If you don’t feel any love for what you are doing, it isn’t easy. Every step of the way there is an invisible weight dragging you down. That really applies to any job. So if you want to do a painting, take the path of your heart’s desire.

Your heart speaks to you with feelings of lightness, happiness, excitement and anticipation. If your image that you want to paint is ticking that box, you have a winner.

The entire process of your painting is charged with inspired energy and therefore you will start it, work hard on it, and finish it.

When you just want to paint whatever comes onto the canvas

You might not want to paint from an image you have. You might just want to put color on your brush and go for it, whatever happens, happens. Your psychological barrier here is that you don’t trust the process. Trust is learnt, give it a chance.

Allow yourself the freedom and permission to create. Release your expectations or concerns about what others may think of it. This is a really important gift to yourself, to explore.

Color therapy is all about this kind of exploration. Personally I think this is what started the whole abstract art movement! (my opinion) Your creative process might be to paint from your imagination: fairies, imagined castles, forests, or fictional characters.

You can still use your inspiration folder to trigger this artwork. And if you’re thinking that you have no expertise in any particular style of painting….watch a few YouTube tutorials. There are plenty of fantastic artists teaching their skills from beginner to more advanced.

Remember that you are waking a part of your brain up that may be very sluggish or has never woken up once! Every bit of this process from beginning with your inspiration folder, to watching other artists, is feeding that part of your brain.

Gathering inspirational ideas to put in your folder:

• a piece of dark green or red velvet
• a magazine photo of flowers, trees, gardens
• color swatches from the hardware store
• photos of birds, insects, mushrooms, clouds
• a photo-copy of an illustration from a favorite childhood story-book
• doodle art
• lipstick and nail-polish colors
• a beautiful, sumptuous room
• sunrise, sunset
• feathers
• other favorite artist’s work

Other psychological barriers to starting your painting

Time: not enough of it. This is the number one excuse for not painting something. This is followed closely by the comment: ‘I don’t have an artistic bone in my body!’

I understand these reasons very well, but I don’t think they are insurmountable. It all depends on the value you place on opening your creative side. It is how much you believe it will do you some good! It will give you new found skills and awareness of your capabilities to express yourself.

How to deal with these two barriers is easier than you think:

• Borrow some time from something else, like watching TV to relax, to exploring a magazine pile for inspiration. I tear them out, but you can take a photo for your folder if you’re not comfortable doing that.
• Do it in a coffee shop! That way you will not be able to sneak back to the TV and give up.
• Make a list that leads you to that moment of creation.
• Lists are indispensable tools!!
• Any creative process at all, is a naturally human condition. We all absolutely do have an artistic bone in our bodies’! Some just haven’t been allowed to grow.
• Become mindful of how technology is robbing you of so much time in the day.
• Become mindful of how technology may be dampening down your own creativity and imagination.
• Meditate. This practice calms your mind, connects you to your heart and prepares you for self-expression. It also allows you to be yourself, to feel a sense that it is ok to take time out for yourself. Start with ten minutes a day and build from there.
• Focus on what is really going to do you a lot of good. Ask yourself truly, what am I doing now that is nurturing me?
• Get excited! You’re about to make art!!

If you have read this all the way to here, I can tell your soul is crying out to be creative. My final word to you is this: you are opening a door to a Pandora’s box, you might need an art room, you will definitely need some gorgeous storage boxes! Have fun!