Last month, I signed up for a particularly ambitious project. I painted a wall mural at a commercial property. I’ve been teaching myself how to paint wall murals and I’ve completed a couple of those already, but this was way outside my comfort zone. There were times when I had such gripping fear of failure that I wanted to quit and run away. But I stayed put. I did one little bit at a time. And I’m super proud to share the final artwork.
But how is this relevant to my work?
As a part-time art educator, it breaks my heart to see young children face similar fears. They’re either super conscious of their art, or they’re so convinced that they can never be ‘artists’ that they give up without even trying. It is my job to gently nudge them out of their shells, to encourage them to take one step at a time, until they’re confident of their abilities. Putting myself in their shoes helps me understand how they feel, so I can best help them when the time comes. So over the last couple of years I’ve been sharing my artwork on social media. It is not easy, but it is my version of walking the talk.