Do you ever feel like you're going backwards?

Do you ever feel while your practicing a sport or skill that sometimes you're going backwards? It seems like most of the paintings lately just doesn't seem to come out, no matter how many times I try it. Sometimes learning can be frustrating, such as when you put many hours into one piece and not have it turn out as you had imagined. 

 

There are four stages of learning:

• Stage One - Unconscious Incompetence: this is where one starts developing a skill and doesn't know what to do
• Stage Two - Conscious Incompetence: By only watching others paint one will come to know what he or she doesn't know
• Stage Three - Conscious competence: This is where things become more interesting. You’re now able to perform the skill you want. This can be incredibly satisfying, and this is where many setting out to learn a skill stop
• Stage Four - Unconscious Competence: This is everyone's dream when you can create a painting without giving it a second thought.

I imagine that within each stages there are progressions. Wouldn't it be great if one would go through the stages without ever slipping back. I guess, that's just how we learn.  

 

For now, I'm trying to focus on simpler things, such as creating value studies or simpler compositions. I'm even watching videos of amazing artists. Other artists who have been doing this for more than 20 years tell me that frustrating periods happen to everyone.

 

Regardless, I know that this is normal, and I'll start to feel more satisfied with my paintings when I'll be able to focus more on them. I know that when I emerge from this  frustrating "nothing is working" stage, I will have learned something big. That's when painting gets really exciting!  Right?

 

Since it is tomato season, here is a small series of tomatoes framed using an old window.

I'm currently working on a some cards to get me back into my groove. 
 

Have a great week,

Danielle