Curiosity, Process and Painting: My Three Takeaways from Jane Davies
We all evolve as artists. Who we are today is different from who we were 2 years ago.
Who were you as an artist two years ago when this interview first went live? Who are you today? And how has this interview changed for you in the time since first listening?
Because I bet you’ve changed. What you hear in the interview will as well.
It certainly did for me.
Here are my three biggest takeaways from relistening to the interview. I’d love to hear yours in the comments below.
LET CURIOSITY GUIDE YOU
There are a lot of shoulds that we bring to the table.
“I should learn color mixing.”
“I should learn to draw.”
But shoulds rarely light the fire under us creatives as much as curiosity.
Davies encourages curiosity. Curiosity about materials. Curiosity about what this color does with that color.
Curiosity will lead you places you could have never charted on your own. Once you spend some time there, you’ll hit a wall. You won’t have an answer to the question curiosity is asking. It’s at that point, you may decide focus a little and be more deliberate in answering the question curiosity is asking.
Suddenly it’s not “I should learn color mixing”...it’s “Why do unpredictable things happen when I mix certain colors.”
But until then, forget the shoulds. If curiosity is keeping your hands in paint, then it’s working to help make you a stronger painter.
FOCUS ON PROCESS
Davies admits that it’s hard even for her sometimes to not get caught up in the idea of the final painting. But she works hard to keep herself present in the process. In fact, she designs whole approaches to keep her present in her process.
One example is her timed exercises. She does these BECAUSE they help her stay present. It’s hard to think about a finished painting when you only have 30 minutes until your timer buzzes...so 3, 2, 1, go!
Even established painters like Davies still have to overcome the instinct to focus on the final product instead of the process.
In Davies’ case, she has developed tools to help her overcome those tendencies. She has systems to help her work more how she WANTS to work.
PAINT A LOT OF PAINTINGS
Painting is a learnable skill. But that skill still has to be developed through painting a lot of paintings. There’s no way around that. It’s just the truth of art.
Davies really encourages us to do whatever it takes to paint a lot of paintings. If the cost of materials is making you hesitant, get the cheap stuff and paint with abandon.
If you don’t enjoy your medium, change your medium. (You’ve got so many options!)
If you’re feeling precious about your work, set up challenges so that you shift your goals from the painting itself and to the act of finishing a painting in 5 minutes.
But the key to getting better first and foremost lies in painting more not less.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
What were your biggest takeaways from the conversation with Jane Davies? I’d love to hear them below.
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