How to Paint Like a Kid - The Key to Fearless Creativity

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Pablo Picasso

I sometimes have the pleasure of painting with groups of loud, energetic kids.  Cups of water get spilled, paint ends up in hair, and I have to raise my voice to be heard.  You might be surprised to know that I find this chaos refreshing and inspiring. Why? 

When was the last time you observed a kid under the age of ten painting?   Kids paint with reckless abandon.  They paint freely without expectation and without the inner critic judging their work.  Most of us have forgotten how to express ourselves in this way, but that doesn't mean we can't return to a state of carefree creativity.

Those of us who have weathered our share of years have become more cautious and unsure. We've all heard some criticism in our lives from ourselves and others. As a result, we've lost our creative confidence. We like having someone tell us exactly how to create our art step by step, so there is less room for error.  

That is, after all, why we like Sip and Paint classes.  Unfortunately, by removing the room for error, we also remove the space for originality.  It's time to find that child inside you and recapture that wild, untamed spirit.  Your art can only benefit from this approach.

Below, I've listed seven general behaviors that I have observed during kids' painting events that differ from our adult approach to painting.  Next, it is your job to create a painting like a kid using these behaviors.

1. Kids don't listen.  I'm up there talking, and the kids are polite, but they are not doing what I am telling them to do. They don't take instruction well.  I say, "Paint the vase white."  They proceed to paint it whatever color they feel like painting it.  Their artistic instincts have not yet been tamed. Forget about what you were told, do it your way.

2. They break the rules. They use unconventional colors.  They mix them in unexpected ways.  They use brushes in unpredictable ways.  Leaves that were green on the example painting become blue on their canvas.  They mix orange and blue which results in a muddy brown, but somehow they make it work.  They just choose the color that speaks to them. Go on, be a rebel!

3. They have the benefit of not having been taught "how to do it".  Technique teaches us that there is a right way and a wrong way.  We get bogged down by technique.  Kids have not had their artistic instincts tampered with yet.  They will use paint and brushes in ways that you would never consider and in ways that an instructor would never suggest.  Forget what you've learned and trust your instincts.   

4. They paint fast. They don't take time to think. They just act.  They don't stop to plan.  There is none of the hesitation that comes with self-doubt.   if I expect an event to last an hour and a half, the kids will always be done in less than an hour. Try painting quickly without thinking.  For inspiration watch MarsupialPudding speed painting a night sky on YouTube.    Don't think, act!

5. They are Fearless. They don't worry about the outcome before painting a flower stem, they just do it.  If they don't like it, they just paint over it.  They are not afraid.  They make lots of mistakes.  They are comfortable with it.  To them, it is called learning. Be fearless.

6.  They don't imitate.  Their goal is to express themselves.  When this is your aim, you create original art.   For the most part, they still don't mind being different.  Unlike adults, they don't wish to create a carbon copy of my art.  After all, they see the subject differently, because they have not lost their artistic eye.  They see it with no preconceived notions of how it should be. Originate, don't imitate.  

7.  They don't judge themselves harshly.  When they are finished, they are generally happy with their work.  They did not enter the exercise with the kind of expectations that adults put on themselves.  No one has classified them yet as artistic or unartistic.  This is what Picasso meant when he said, "all children are artists".   Be your kindest critic.  Give yourself a break.

So go ahead and be fearless.  Paint like a kid.  I think you'll be pleased with the results as long as you silence that annoying inner critic.  If you are interested in the topic of children and creativity, you can find more interesting information on this page on the Family Education website.  

This is a repost of a 2016 blog by me.

The Cost of Art - Why Paintings in Galleries are "So Expensive"

“Art is often valuable precisely because it isn't a sensible way to make money.”

Adam Davidson

I have a small house.  By the end of the year, my home studio (a.k.a. dining room) was overflowing with over one hundred paintings created for and at my Sociable Art events. Most of these paintings had been created in less than an hour and a half, and the subject matter was simple due to the time constraints of the classes and the limited experience of the guests. Because I had so many, had not invested much time in them, and had a pressing need to clear some space in my home, I offered them for sale at a festival for $15-$30.  A customer came into my booth and said, “Now, these are the kind of prices I can afford unlike in those galleries.”  She went on to ask me why they charged so much at the galleries.   Like many consumers who are not artists, she felt like the prices were exorbitantly high and arbitrarily assigned.  I'm not sure she understood that my paintings were only value priced because they were rapidly produced as display pieces for my events, not as finished works of art.  In way of explanation, here are some of the factors behind the seemingly high price tags you might see at a gallery.

1. It takes more time than you think to create a work of art. Art is usually not the product of a quick flash of inspiration that is then transferred quickly to a canvas as a finished masterpiece in a matter of hours.  On the contrary, a work of art is usually the culmination of hours, weeks, and sometimes years of rumination, sketches, study, trial and error, and failed efforts.  Unlike other occupations where the cost of the work is clear, it is impossible to tally up all of those hours and put a price per hour value on the work. Then consider that hours spent creating art, unless it has been commissioned by a patron, are a complete leap of faith.  An artist has no guarantee that someone will like the art enough to actually buy it.  The hours spent might end up being a complete waste of time and money. 
2. Art supplies are expensive. Quality paint, brushes, canvases, easels, and framing are expensive.  The canvas alone might easily cost the artist over $100.  Supply costs may eat up half the profit an artist potentially makes.  If the painting never sells, the artist takes a loss for the cost of that canvas and those supplies.  The profits from the canvases that do sell will also have to cover the cost of those that do not find a buyer. For an illuminating explanation of how one artists determines the price of a commissioned work of art, including time and supplies, check out this post from Red Bluff Gallery.
3. Artists often must pay sizable commissions in order to sell their work. Galleries charge a 50% commission on average. Even restaurants and coffee shops usually get a commission on every piece sold, so the artist only receives $500 from that $1000 painting you purchased at the gallery. For an explanation of the reasoning behind the gallery commissions, check out Red Dot Blog..
4. For every painting sold, there are many that don’t. An artist might spend a month or year creating paintings for a show.  They might create 20 paintings but only sell 6,  For all that time spent on each painting, they might only see a return on 30% of them.
5. If the artist is popular and in demand, the price of the work will rise. If an artist is one of the lucky and talented few to make a name for herself, there will be a cost passed on to the art consumer for the value of that reputation.  If a buzz has been created for a particular artist, his/her paintings will be in demand and thus command a higher price.  Just as you would pay more for a haircut from a skilled hairstylist with a popular reputation and renowned clientele, you will pay more to the artist with years of experience and a history of selling paintings to famous people.   Interestingly enough, the value of a painting is often determined by the renown and wealth of the previous owners according to the documentary, What Makes Art Valuable.

Artists are compelled to create art whether they make money or not, and most cannot manage to make a living doing what they love.  However, for some there is no other choice - the inspiration that lives within them must be expressed. So, the next time a painting in a gallery or on the wall of a restaurant speaks to you, touches something inside your soul, or would simply look lovely on your wall, I hope you will have a deeper understanding of the value.  If for no other reason, buy the art to support the artist, so they can continue to bring inspiration and beauty into the world.

Paintings Priced to Move!

Creating Art from Spilt Coffee

Countless times, I have come downstairs to make my coffee in the morning and encountered unmistakable signs that my teenage daughter has already been there and left her mark.  Spills and spatters of brown liquid, scattered coffee grounds, abandoned spoons were left to greet me.  I used to feel aggravated, and I would let her know, yelling up the stairs that I did not appreciate the mess.  There would be no response from her and no behavioral transformation as a result of my anger.  These exchanges were typical of our relationship as we tried to navigate the teenage years.

One morning, I was presented with a particularly impressive mess and I felt the familiar annoyance, but then I looked at the dark brown spill more carefully.  The shape resembled a figure.  I hurried into the office to get a drawing pencil.  All of sudden the careless mess left for me to clean up had become an inspiration.  With the addition of a few pencil lines, the spill had become a humble work of art.

 From then on, when my daughter left a spill, I turned it into art and posted it on FaceBook with a caption "Coffee Spills left by my Teenage Daughter Turned into Art".  I left the spills on the counter for the rest of the day to be appreciated by all.  Best of all, my day no longer started with an angry exchange between the two of us which negatively colored the rest of our day.  It makes me consider how other frustrating situations in life can be changed into something positive with a slight shift of perspective.  Next, I'm trying to figure out how to transform the clothing and wet towels my teenage son leaves in heaps on the floor into soft sculpture;) Stay tuned...

 If you enjoyed this post, considering checking out my book, Approaching the Blank Canvas, Real Talk on Fear, Inspiration and Not Giving Up in Art and Life. It’s full of true tales and tips from my 20+ years of making art for a living. It’s available on Amazon Books and you can also find the link to it and my other books on my DesignsbyArianne website.   

Appreciation of Color

Appreciation of Color

"More varied than any landscape was the landscape in the sky, with islands of gold and silver, peninsulas of apricot and rose against a background of many shades of turquoise and azure." Cecil Beaton Last night I saw a black and white movie set in present day Paris. I realized that when you drain the color from the world, you see things in stark contrast. You are forced to focus more on the words and expressions of the characters, because you are not distracted by a kaleidoscope of color. Objects are reduced to their simplest form. I understand why a director or photographer might choose black and white, but to me the effect is cold in its simplicity and has a morose and lonely quality. When I have a subject that I am interested in painting, sometimes I take a black an white photo. Doing this helps me to see the dark and light areas, the shadows and reflected light, as well as all those shades of gray. It becomes easier to put things in a scale from light to dark if you remove the distraction of color.  If you are new to painting, you might try this practice;  Take a photograph of a still life and, using your computer’s photo editing program, see what the image looks like with the highest contrast between black and white. Turn up the brightness. See what happens when all the shades of gray are gone. Then returning to the original photo, sketch the still life in pencil paying attention to the areas of light and dark. Next, go back to your sketch and add colored pencil, and watch the image come to life. Sometimes removing color can reduce a subject or a problem to it’s simplest form, but you also remove the nuances of emotion and life that color invokes. Try this, stand at your font door and observe the view. For the next few days, look at the same view and notice the differences in the quality of colors at different times of day and in different weather.  While observing things in black and white can be a useful tool in creating art, color is what gives life it’s flavor. If we see things only in the extremes of contrast, we miss out on all the wonderful, chaotic, messy color in between.  -Arianne

Taking a Step Back

Taking a Step Back

Arianne: Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 11:08 AM

“One sees qualities at a distance and defects at close range.”   -Victor Hugo   At Sociable Art events, my guests sit and paint at tabletop easels leaving little distance between themselves and the canvas they are working on. In every class, I mention that artists need to step back from their paintings to see them clearly. My suggestion is always followed by laughs and someone joking that their painting would look better from halfway across the parking lot. Seriously though, being too up close and personal with your subject keeps you from seeing the painting as a whole.   I have attached an image of a close-up view of one of Monet’s paintings of water lilies. Not too impressive up close, is it? It is difficult to even tell what we are looking at. However, when you step back and view the whole painting from a distance, all becomes clear from your new vantage point. Monet was trying to capture his impression of the scene. Interestingly, he was suffering from cataracts when he painted most of the water lily paintings, and his eyesight was greatly diminished.   Try this; the next time you are painting, step back from your painting occasionally. When you view the painting from three or four feet away, you can suddenly see what was not apparent up close. Viewing your work, your eye should move easily around the painting. From a distance, you can see problem areas that are distractions and stop the flow of your vision.  It is evident where you need to add contrast between light and dark to form better definition between objects. The best thing is, almost always, your painting will look better to you from far away, even if that’s across the parking lot.   The same can be said of many situations in life. If you are faced with a problem at work, a difficult relationship, or any sort of dilemma, try taking a step back and create a degree of separation. When we are in the thick of things, right on top of the problem, we can’t see the forest for the trees Only from a slight distance, can we see all of the parts of a whole and gain an objective perspective to see what needs to be fixed and what is valuable and worth saving. I can’t tell you how many times at the conclusion of a Sociable Art event, a guest who has been sitting a foot away from their canvas all evening criticizing their own work stands up, steps back, and smiles with satisfaction when seeing their work from a distance.   Arianne “Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity.” -Robert Morgan  If you enjoyed this post, considering checking out my book, Approaching the Blank Canvas, Real Talk on Fear, Inspiration and Not Giving Up in Art and Life. It’s full of true tales and tips from my 20+ years of making art for a living. It’s available on Amazon Books and you can also find the link to it and my other books on my DesignsbyArianne website.

Abstract Expression as Therapy

Abstract Expression as Therapy

The definition of abstract art:  Art that does not attempt to represent external, recognizable reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.    “Energy and motion made visible – memories arrested in space”  ― Jackson Pollock   My mom was an artist.  When she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, her artistic style changed.  Not due to any physical limitations, her nerve damage was limited to the left side of her body, but more likely due to the mental challenge presented by dealing with an autoimmune disease.  When she was forced to accept that her body was attacking itself, I suppose she tried to find some control through artistic expression. After receiving her diagnosis, my mom could never see life in the same way, and so her art could never be the same.  Things she had taken for granted had become abstract. She began to paint abstract paintings full of brightly hued patterns and shapes. They were neatly ordered puzzles of design and color.  She painted this style on any object that didn't move.  To the left is an image of a door she painted in her home.   I have been told by others faced with chronic disease, that art is the one activity that allows them to forget their struggle for as long as they have brush in hand.  A lot of people don’t understand art that doesn’t depict a recognizable object a subject matter, but art is not just about pretty pictures and skillful depictions of reality.     Sometimes the value of art is not just in the beautiful result but in the actual process of applying paint to white canvas; of the feeling you evoke with the motion of your brushstrokes and the drama of certain colors interacting with each other. If you think of art as an expression, sometimes abstract is the purest form..  You are trying to paint frustration, love, anger, music, the flow of the universe.  Abstract art is our way of taking a complex, confusing, and demanding world and breaking it down into its essential elements: color form, movement, feeling. An artist may create an entire series of paintings designed to study the color pink – to explore how it interacts with other colors. Abstract is an escape from rules, from conformity, from expectation. So the next time you look at a smear of gray paint on a field of yellow, try to see it without expectation and without preconceived notions of what art should be.  Appreciate the quality of the color, the motion of the brushstrokes, the simplicity  of form.  If you look very carefully, you may be able to see into the heart and soul of the artist.  The beauty of abstract is that it demands so little of us and gives to us whatever we are willing to take. If you are in need of a little "art therapy", try this simple exercise: 1. Without over-thinking, quickly draw a loose pattern, shape, or scribble with a sharpie or paint pen on a blank white canvas. 2. Choose a palette of colors that are pleasing to you in your current state of mind. 3. Simply fill in each shape (with feeling!) using patterns, differing brushstrokes, alternating colors. 4. Voila! An abstract masterpiece! The painting below was created by one of our teams at a Sociable Art Abstract Ensemble Team Building Event at Pinehurst Resorts and donated to The Carying Place.   If you enjoyed this post, considering checking out my book, Approaching the Blank Canvas, Real Talk on Fear, Inspiration and Not Giving Up in Art and Life. It’s full of true tales and tips from my 20+ years of making art for a living. It’s available on Amazon Books and you can also find the link to it and my other books on my DesignsbyArianne website.

Finding Flow

Finding "Flow"

“…success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.”   -       Viktor Frankl     In the book, Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes a state of happiness and contentment called “flow” in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter and time loses meaning.  He goes on to say that this state is achieved by stretching the mind or body “to it’s limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”  Watch his TedTalk for more insights. Sometimes we find our workdays so mentally tiring and stressful that we look for ways to “check out” in our free time, turning to passive forms of entertainment like television and the internet; however these only serve to keep us from truly experiencing real life and feel the great joy of challenging ourselves to grow and reach new heights.    I am fortunate enough to be able to reach a state of flow when I am immersed in painting.  For others, flow may come from learning a new instrument, challenging the mind with puzzles, enjoying a competitive game of tennis, or from yoga and meditation. How do you achieve flow?      Think back to a time when you were involved in an activity and time seemed to race by.  Two hours passed and it felt like five minutes. Your mind was clear and uncluttered, free of racing thoughts and worries.  I have friends who achieve this state through knitting, programming, and cooking to name just a few pastimes.  The key is to try to challenge yourself to create something with a clear goal in mind.  After a night or weekend away from your 9-5 job, wouldn’t it be more satisfying to know you did not fritter away your free time watching reality television, but actually had something to show for your time, whether that be a hand knitted sweater, painting, chocolate cake, or new personal fitness record?     Recently I have had the pleasure of witnessing a friend take on a major challenge by confronting a major obstacle, her fear of swimming.  She has gone through her whole life avoiding water over her knees, because she never learned to swim.  Now, over the age of forty, she has gathered her courage and decided to “take a plunge”.  It is thrilling watching someone push their boundaries and often has the unexpected effect of influencing you to test your own limits as well.  I can only imagine the new sense of confidence my friend will have after facing her fear head-on, and I wonder what new opportunities and experiences will arise as a result. This is why it is important to surround yourself with people who are interested in growth; it rubs off!     Why not be the one to set the example?  Be the one among your group of friends, coworkers, or family who inspires through action.  Rather than coming to work in the morning with knowledge of which bachelor the current bachelorette chose, show up with plans to climb a mountain, photos of a garden you created in your backyard, or the peace of mind that comes from challenging yourself to improve and reach new heights.  I am training to complete the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock Ultra.   How do you plan to challenge yourself? - Arianne

If you enjoyed this post, considering checking out my book, Approaching the Blank Canvas, Real Talk on Fear, Inspiration and Not Giving Up in Art and Life. It’s full of true tales and tips from my 20+ years of making art for a living. It’s available on Amazon Books and you can also find the link to it and my other books on my DesignsbyArianne website.