Whose Opinion Matters?
Ep. 40 guest Sari Shryack is a partner, a mother, and a business owner. And in a life where, like most of us, she is constantly navigating everyone’s wants and needs, there’s one space where her opinion is the only one that counts.
Her studio.
When she walks into her painting space, her opinion is the only one that matters.
She gets to choose what she paints. She chooses how she paints it. She gets to have the final opinion about whether or not the painting is successful to her.
And that’s exactly as it should be.
Shryack has a few trusted voices she can go to for feedback if she wants it including her husband and a few mentors. But she has learned to trust HER voice. And that’s what has helped make her style unique to her.
Put it to Practice:
It can be so easy to let other voices into the studio with you. What the internet thinks. What your partner thinks. What your friends think. What that one teacher in 2nd grade thought.
But none of those voices actually matter more than YOUR voice. Learning what YOU want and what YOU think matters most.
In so many ways, learning to paint is about learning to find and trust your own opinions. That’s what a style is after all. If you follow everyone else’s opinions, you’re not painting your style. Your painting your husband’s or your kid’s style. Not your own.
It’s not to say that others' opinions can’t be a part of your art practice. Having trusted sources is important.
But part of learning to paint is learning to be your own best guide. That’s first knowing what your opinions are and then giving yourself permission to trust them… especially when others may disagree.