Build a Process That Draws You Forward with Erin Gregory

The first step of Erin Gregory’s (Ep.90) process is to create an abstract painting. Her floral work is incredibly abstract and these lower layers will help her explore new ideas as she works towards finishing the painting. But the reason she starts this way actually has nothing to do with the finished painting.

The real reason she starts this way is because it’s fun.

She doesn’t want grand expectations when facing a blank canvas. She wants something specific she can do that’s fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable. This helps her get excited about beginning new paintings. Which means she’s always eager to move forward with new work.

PUT IT TO PRACTICE:

Gregory is excited to move forward in her work. The opposite of that forward excitement is pushback.

Pushback happens for one of two reasons:Fear or uncertainty.

If you’re afraid you'll mess it up, it can be really hard to move forward. This is why the blank surface can be so intimidating.

Uncertainty is also a momentum killer. If you don’t know how, in general, you start a painting… it can be really hard to start a painting each and every time.

Gregory is a great example of an artist who has a known process that still makes room for exploration. She knows how she will move forward through a painting.

Here’s what I mean:

She knows how she will start a painting.. It’s by creating an abstract painting. Through that she can explore colors and line and shape.

Next, Gregory knows what she’s going to paint because she has a reference for every painting. She doesn’t have to wonder what flower will go where, she knows because it’s in her reference.

She can then explore how those shapes interact with her abstracted underlayer.

Her process has room for exploration, but each big next step is clear. She knows and gets excited by the big steps in her process. This helps her keep moving forward.

So, if you find that you’re facing pushback, try and figure out if it’s fear or uncertainty. (Or a combination of the two.) And then problem-solve for each. If you can, try and solve the problem through something fun. It will make moving through a painting much less intimidating and much more enjoyable.