The Halfway Point

My goodness, I can’t believe that I’m halfway through the 99 Day Challenge. It’s been an adventure for sure. I feel the pressure to find the right painting or quote to post each day. But the pressure pushes me forward and helps me grow. My skills are getting more fine-tuned and I’m developing a rhythm to this lifestyle.

What has been the biggest challenge? Myself. I am my own biggest obstacle. In my first blog where I kicked-off the challenge, I spoke about how I wanted mass-pieces, not masterpieces. Well my Type-A, perfectionist personality has made that very difficult. The thing with digital painting is that it is much faster than traditional painting. So when I start painting, I see the finish line much sooner than I would if I were using traditional methods. It’s hard to pace myself and let the paintings breathe in between sessions.

Am I enjoying it? Absolutely. It is a lot of work, but it’s worth it. I was thinking I would spend 10-20 minutes a day on sketches, or looking for inspiration, or testing new brushes. Yeah that’s not what happened. It’s turned into 1-2 hours minimum each day as I try to make each painting perfect. I love that though. I love painting. I can work all day on a painting and forget what time it is because my body has rejected all signals telling me that I’m hungry or tired. I think that’s the way everyone should test their passions. If you spend less time doing what you’re passionate about than you do getting ready in the morning, you’re not doing it right.

What have I discovered? Art takes dedication, and dedication takes support. I never quit; I put everything I have into what I’m passionate about. But sometimes it’s hard to find motivation when it’s a cold, cozy day and all you want to do is nap. It would be so much easier to make excuses and complain that my eyes are tired and I really should just rest. But no! That’s not progress, and that’s not giving your passions your full attention. I’m so grateful to my friends, family, and followers who have shown me encouragement through this half of the challenge. And I’m extremely blessed to have a husband who not only built my website to showcase my artwork, but who constantly validates my passions and motivates me to keep chasing them.

What’s going to happen at the end of the year/challenge? The purpose of this challenge was to jump-start my engine after a hibernation. I feel like that has been accomplished. I’m enjoying what I’ve been able to do so far and I want to keep up the momentum. I may not do a post everyday or complete a painting each week, but I will continue to just go for it and make the most of every opportunity.