Linda's right and I've heard this same comment from so many wise people. It was one of the two main pieces of advice from my University instructors that I continue to repeat to myself: 1. The most tenacious, not the most talented are successful and 2. You never know when the muse will visit so make sure you have a paint brush in your hand! Also, I don't usually learn in a gradual manner. My learning curve is jagged with bursts of "aha" moments (usually resulting from "mistakes"). I was joking with my daughter the other day. After I commented that I wouldn't make THAT mistake again, she responded that I would go on to make other more interesting mistakes! I hope so.

That was funny Kristi! I have been painting on cheap canvas board so that I wouldn't be afraid to explore my creativity. That was my mistake. I love the paintings I have been doing lately and wish they were on better quality supports.

Originality is 10% creative and 90% forgetting where you got the idea.

I can vouch for learning and growing from failures in all aspects of life. My artistic life is no exception. Every artist goes through periods where the well seems to have gone dry. Life gets too hectic; you don't have time to nurture the soul and do some art. (In my case, it's painting in oils.) You take care of bills, work, kids, etcetera; your right brain practically begins to atrophy. When you finally realize you've neglected your artistic life and you push yourself to paint you can sometimes lose interest in your last, unfinished endeavor. Additionally, if you need to start a new project, you sometimes find that the spark just isn’t there. Fortunately this has only happened to me a few times, but when it did it was actually a blessing in disguise.
Artistic angst is real and can frequently open the door to a well-spring of new ideas, and new and improved techniques. In those fresh beginnings will be both failures and successes. But in those failures there is gold. When I look back at those times I realize that I unwittingly seem to do research. The frustration leads me to look at other artist’s work for inspiration. Before the internet, I’d make frequent trips to the library, now I just surf the net. Sometimes I find inspiration in the masters, sometimes its contemporary artists, but always I’m storing and compiling information. Now, having learned from those dry periods; those failures, I know that “eureka moment” is right around the corner and I will experience my own personal renaissance. An entire series of paintings might be the result. A looser, freer technique might be in the cards. I have even branched out into other genre’s and found success.
I've learned to let the failures happen and not to sweat it. Back in the 60’s the Mama’s and the Papa’s said it best in their song “Dedicated to the one I love”, the darkest hour is just before dawn.
Peggy Selander