U is for Uniqueness in Art

'Standing Up Country'            11x14           pastel        ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $165

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

Do you ever doubt yourself?  Do you ever wonder if you are going about your art the right way?  Do you ever look around you and compare yourselves to other artists?  Wonder how you measure up? Think that maybe you need to be more like them and you just aren't going about it the right way?

I imagine most of us go through this self doubt every once in awhile. Long hours alone in the studio can do that to you!  I have very simple goals for my art. I just want to paint what I enjoy while always looking to improve. I want to share what I learn with other artists through teaching and this blog. But sometimes I wonder if I should be pushing harder and being more focused.

'Canyon Country Grandeur'     6x8       pastel 

BUT....I like the freedom of being who I am and not what I think I should be.   I have to remind myself  my vision is unique and I don't need to paint like anyone else but me.  When these moments of self-doubt surface here are some things I do to get back on track.

• Remind myself that it is the journey that is more important than the destination. If I am not enjoying the journey of creating art than the final destination will not be worth it.
• Give myself permission to experiment and play with my paintings.  I don't have to always produce a successful painting. I will learn through these playful experiments!
• Refocus on the things that I do best and find ways to do them even better.

 The painter, being concerned only with giving his impression, simply seeks to be himself and no one else. Claude Monet