Fearless

I've noticed that some of my students are afraid to take a chance on doing something different or untried. I'm getting to where I say "be fearless" a lot. Where would we be if the Impressionists never tried something new and untested? Where would we be in Da Vinci just kept painting in the "acceptable" mode of the day? Isn't all art about risk and possible failure? So what if something doesn't come out like you hoped? What have we lost but an hour or so of our lives and little materials. But the possibility of creating something new and different and exciting should out-weigh the risk factor, shouldn't it? What does it take to be fearless?

I have painted for several decades (more than I like to count) and I still have at least one out of 5 paintings that I will never show to people because I thought it was a failure. Yet my failures are very valuable to me. I've learned something new from each one. I know what not to try again.. but more than that, I think I have strengthened something basic inside of me each time. Like getting into a swimming pool. At first you only put in one toe. Then you brave up to the waist. Then you swim around in the shallow end. Before long you feel brave enough to "cannon-ball" into the deep end. Each trial worked up to the last and most fun "leap of faith" into the unknown. It's all good.