That Elusive Confidence


 Confidence at what I am creating on particular day varies. What makes you have confidence one day where you are singing along and all is going swimmingly. The next day all that confidence seems to be elusive, hiding in a box, on the shelf where you can not find it. You ask yourself, as if looking for that item you think you still have, “now where did I put it”. Usually my confidence is still there the next day if I left the creation with satisfaction and nothing changed with other issues of life. If incidences come up with family members, my health is in malaise, disorganized, or just bored, these are the biggest deterrents to chasing away confidence. If I straighten up , cleanup, and get my ducks in a row the disorganization goes away. The boredom is usually solved by doing something different whether it is a change of scenery by taking a trip or just switching to another hobby. Everyone needs a hobby. Then, coming back to the studio with a different attitude makes confidence reappear.

So I stand in front of the easel with my sketches hanging around and focusing on why I want to paint this scene, is my start. I dig in tapping to the beat of ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. I keep up the momentum by starting another painting and leaving them both at the end of the day, beginning with freshness the next day.









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