Boy, oh, boy!!

I always have the best intentions. I say to myself, "Today, I'm going to accomplish these things..." and I make a list--I really do (in my head anyway). Then, I get started...

The first thing I notice is that I have to get things set up just right before I can get started, so that takes some time, since my supplies from my last art project art still all over my work space...

Then, I have to think about what supplies I'm going to need and collect them in one place...

• one canvas (or art journal page)-- check!

• brushes -- check!

• protective covering for my work space (I'm messy)-- check!

• a jar of water--check!

• paint colors I plan to use--check!

• baby wipes--check!!

• a paper plate for mixing colors--check!

• some paper towels or a paint rag -- check

• reference photo (sometimes)--check!

• something to drink -- check!

• set up holder for my iPhone so I can record my project--check!

• make sure the lighting doesn't create shadows in the wrong places--check!

...and that's just if I'm "only" doing a painting! If I'm doing a mixed media piece or working on one of my legacy art journals, there are lots of additional supplies: gesso, ModPodge, modeling paste, stamps/inks, napkins, ephemera, quote printouts..

.

By the time I get everything set up, I'm tired. The situation is made much more complicated by the fact that I don't have a specific area that I can just keep set up with all of my supplies handy--I mostly use our dining room table or a stand-up desk that I can move around.

But, I see there is a life lesson here: Often, we spend so much time "getting ready" to do something that we are worn out before we ever begin. While preparation is important and essential, sometimes we let it become a way of procrastinating, putting off the thing we're supposed to be doing. It's really easy to think, "I can't begin until after this is done."

The most difficult thing about creating art is often picking up the paintbrush and starting to paint. My GOODNESS!!

I wonder what other things in my life I am putting off until I get something else done first? What have I missed out on because I was so busy "getting ready" to do "it" that I never got "it" done.

Am I alone in this?

I think probably not...I'd love to hear how you accomplish what you set out to do? Do you jump right in, or do you spend hours "getting ready", often putting off the creativity you intended in the first place?

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.”

Twyla Tharp