Art Mirrors Life: Making Decisions

One of the most amazing things that I have discovered on my "art journey" is how much I can learn about life within the practice of my art.

Of course there is the learning about art part; the 3 M's I like to call them. Materials, Mechanics and Mindset. All three are important but art lessons often focus on the materials and especially the mechanics. What I am calling the mechanics is the technique. How do I get this effect? What happens if I use too much water, or not enough. What happens if I mix too many colors? All of these things are covered in any watercolor lesson.

The amazing thing is how I discovered that I was learning things that helped me at life too! Many people suffer from decision fatigue. The word "decision" comes from Latin words that essentially mean "cut away". I think that is why some people find decisions so hard! When we "decide" something, we are also "cutting away" the other options.

"What if I make the wrong choice?"

"What if I don't have all the information when I have to decide."

What if I don't like my piece?

"What if", "What if", "What if".

I know this because I have lived this! As I kept creating art, I noticed that my art practice acted like a sort of "decision making" practice place. In classes, you often hear, "You are the artist, you get to decide." Color, compostion, style, approach and the list goes on. Art is a great place to hone decision making skills because you get to decide and you have to decide!

Over time, like anything, practices makes you better at it and grows your confidence. Many people come to watercolor drawn by the "art" and leave with so much more than they expected! Teaching watercolor and seeing these fringe benefits is what keeps me coming back. You get to decide and you can. Happy painting!