The Answer to Bad Paintings

Do you want to become a master artist?

A master…. what is that exactly?

A master means you are getting paid at the very top of your industry. It means you are a complete expert on all things painting. You can mix color without even thinking—you know exactly how much paint to put on your brush every time.

You never have to guess what your painting needs. You make a few mistakes, can hit the form accurately every time, and each brushstroke is nearly perfect. You can render light effortlessly and abstraction comes to you as second nature. You can create a near-masterpiece in just hours because your skills are so highly developed, and your eye so trained, that you don't have to measure proportion any longer or guess at values. Nothing in art stumps you anymore — whatever you can see, whatever you can imagine, you can get onto the canvas.

• Can you even imagine this?
• Doesn’t it sound like creative bliss?
• What would it be worth to you to get there?
• How much money would you pay?
• How far would you travel?
• How many hours are you willing to put in?

Do you realize if you paint for 40 hours a week, in just 5 short years you will be a master?

According to Gladwell in the book Outliers, after 10,000 hours you will be a master. I really think there is some truth to this. I think you can get there quicker if you work smarter and have good mentors. I think you can cheat the rule and shortcut it by at least 5,000 hours. But even if you don't, and you paint 10,000 hours the slow/dumb way, I believe everyone — without exception — can be a master.

So this means every minute you spend behind the brush counts towards this.

Every good painting AND every bad painting.

Every time you are stuck, agonizing, toiling, or joyfully cruising in your flow state… each moment counts towards it.

Just hit it. Spend every second you can paint.

Then draw. Then make something with markers, and watercolors. Then jump into your oils.

Paint. Paint. And then paint some more.

Who cares if you make a mess or terrible paintings? Who cares if you try something difficult and fail? It still counts. Honestly, it might even count more.

Every failure, every bad painting gets you closer to being a master when you won’t make a bad painting again. You will never toil or agonize over your art again. Perfectionism will go out the window because you will be perfect. Isn’t it worth it?

So never again allow yourself to take a few weeks off. Or get frustrated and 6 months blow by. Giving up shouldn’t even be a possibility.

Just work.

Get your butt behind that paintbrush and clock those hours. As you inch closer and closer to your mastery, it will all get easier.

If you are in the beginning of the process: don't worry, you won't be terrible for long. Before you are a master, you will be decent. Then you will be pretty good. After that, you will be really good and start selling your work all the time. You won’t be a master yet, just really good. As you enjoy your new career as an artist, those hours won’t be painful at all anymore. Now you are having a good time and you will rarely make a terrible painting.

One day, as you are looking at your calendar and seeing all the shows, campaigns, and initiatives you are involved in, looking back over years and years of art sales and career advancement, you’ll start to calculate and see that you paid your dues.

You did it.

You completed 10,000 hours and you really are a master. That book wasn't lying. It was all true. Achieving this milestone was 100% in your control.

It was YOU who decided to spend all those hours at your easel. It was YOU who said no to TV or looking at TikTok and instead devoted yourself to your art. You can hardly remember what it feels like to be stuck or not know what to do to fix your painting. You now have more ideas than you even have time for. Your inspiration seems endless. Your professional habits are so ingrained, you can’t even imagine skipping a day painting.

Congratulations!! You did it! You are a master artist!