Love, Commitment and Abundance- Three Takeaways from My Conversation with Lynn Whipple
Episode 23 with Lynn Whipple arrives January 11th. The episode will have bonus conversation for newsletter subscribers the following week. You can add your name to the newsletter here.
I am finishing the final edits on my interview with mixed media artist Lynn Whipple (Ep. 23). It’s the perfect kick off to a new year. As we spend time reflecting on how we work and what we want for our art, I hope you keep Whipple’s perspective in mind.
Here are three of my biggest take-aways from the conversation. I’ll be looking forward to hearing yours!
Liking Your Process is Important
Whipple would maybe tell you to aim higher and love your process, but you have to at least like it. This sounds pretty obvious. But it’s not always. So many of us, if we really considered it, may realize that we don’t enjoy the way we paint. We paint small when we want to paint big. Or we feel pressure to paint big but really we just want to paint small.
There are thousands of ways to work so if the way you’re currently working doesn’t bring you some joy, look for another.
It comes down to easy math: If you like your process, you’ll do more of it. If you don’t like your process, you’ll probably do less of it. More painting means quicker improvement no matter the style.
Committed Can Look Like Anything
So many of us use art as a way to be kind of mean to ourselves. We get angry at ourselves if something doesn’t go right. We confuse self loathing with progress. All in the name of taking ourselves and our work seriously.
So maybe let’s not. Let’s not take ourselves seriously. Let’s instead be fully committed to our practice AND let some light in. We can be a super committed artist and also have a heck of a lot of fun. Whipple is a great example of that. Commitment can come with laughter and forgiveness.
Create Systems that Limit Preciousness
Preciousness makes us tight. It makes us concerned. It’s what has us say, “Oh you can’t use that paper. It’s the NICE paper.” It’s incredibly hard to grow as an artist if we’re constantly bumping into concerns and constraints.
Whipple counterbalances this with abundance. Lot’s of flowers. Lot’s of paper. Lot’s of paint. She’s not worried about how much paint she puts out on the canvas. She’s not worried she won’t have more paper. Because she does. She makes certain of it. It’s a very conscious part of her strategy to give herself permission to be loose and experimental.
I’m thinking about all three of these things as I look at my own art practice. I’m considering the attitude I bring to my own work. I’m looking for places where maybe levity and abundance are the answers I’m looking for and where I can love being fully committed while taking myself a bit less seriously.
Can’t wait to share the conversation with you Jan 11th. Add your name to the newsletter list below to get the new episode Jan 11th and the bonus conversation the following week.