Do you have your unfinished projects right out in the open, or are you more of a "shove it in the back of the closet" type of project abandoner?

Apparently I like to leave my unfinished things out in the open, where they can confront me daily. Because hey, that way I can crank up the anxiety and self-loathing as much as possible.
So, what causes a project we were once so passionate about to wind up in the "unfinished" pile?
Here are my top 7 excuses.

Pictured above is the easel containing my currently developing body of work. While there have definitely been some delays in the production (see excuse #3) of this expanding statement on living with mental illness, I have not given up on any of these pieces in progress and have several more in the series that are waiting to be painted and drawn. Some of them are already available as prints, like Insomnia and The Watchers.
If you enjoyed my excuses, please consider signing up for my weekly art newsletter, where things will probably get even more awkward.

   I thought I was doing so well. I thought I was finally in control, that I had this thing all figured out. I thought I knew how to protect myself from things like this happening to me, how to avoid this type of dysfunctional relationship.
   But then I met this devastatingly handsome new watercolor paper and it was love at first sight. I fell so fast and hard that I didn't even see the fall coming, didn't see that things were getting completely out of hand, and fast.
   To be clear, if this paper ever leaves me I will be utterly devastated and I may never, ever recover. I bought enough of the stuff to wallpaper my entire studio with it. But like many passionate affairs, it's kind of...complicated.
   Each sheet of this gorgeous, handmade 100% cotton paper is a uniquely textured miracle. It has such fortitude that it can hold a gallon of water and still lay back down gracefully when it has dried. It is carefully dipped in a luscious gray dye at the end, providing a beautiful neutral color to work on with watercolor paints of all types. But sadly, all this beauty is only skin deep and this paper DEFINITELY has a dark side.
   I have learned from experience that if I want a great end result, the key is to do a carefully executed drawing before I start a painting. Then there aren't going to be any tears or regrets in the painting phase. Problem solved. Right?
   Wrong. This paper is impossibly sexy, but it is unpredictable, demanding, and extremely controlling. It's super frustrating to draw on with pencil and an eraser must never touch it or the surface will be permanently scarred. It expects me to do wild, crazy things that are completely out of my comfort zone, like painting without drawing first. *gasp!* It demands that I take risks which could easily end in ugly crying, with shreds of paper drifting gently to the ground all around me. It insists that I throw caution to the wind every time we are together, and if I don't, if I refuse, if I try to go the safe route, it punishes me. It never forgives a transgression and its feelings are very easily hurt. Its like gambling. Two times out of three it can end badly for me, but I keep going back for more.
   Why, oh why am I attracted to this "bad boy" of the watercolor paper world? I'm not totally sure. Maybe it's a case of being attracted to qualities that are the polar opposite of my own. I am a Type-A planner. I think it through, I write it down, I plan it out, I draw it out, and then I stick to the parameters I have set in order to achieve a predictable end result that makes me feel safe and happy. This paper forces me to play it fast and loose and it's both a terror and a thrill.
   Now that I have been talking at length about my love/hate relationship with this paper, I feel compelled to go and roll the dice once again. Wish me luck, I'll definitely need it.

 
Remember that you can support an artist for free by signing up for my email list, where you'll get a weekly-ish newsletter, dibs on brand new artwork, a peek inside my tiny brain and occasional art giveaways or discounts in my shop. Become one with me here-->  https://www.magicmirrorgallery.com/newsletter

If you are anything like me, (and I  know I am), you tend to always have too many creative irons in the fire. Why do we do this to ourselves, you ask? Well, here are my top 5 reasons, and I'd love to hear yours too!
 1. It's Exciting!
   I LOVE starting a new project, all the possibilities still open, brand new problems to solve, so many new art supplies to buy...wait, did I mention all the new art supplies I will be "needing" for this undertaking?
 2. Research.
   I know this one is super nerdy, but I love nothing more than to spend hours poring over art blogs and watching how-to videos on youtube in order to learn a new skill.
And internet school is mostly FREE!
 3. It makes me Less Crazy.
   Trying to find the right programs to create a paint-by-number version of my Furious Sushi or doing my level best to create the funniest Christmas tree ornaments makes me use my brain for things. Things besides reliving all of my most humiliating moments on repeat or compulsively googling freckle shapes to find out if I am dying for real this time. The more art plans I have crammed in my tiny noggin, the less room there is for crazy to dwell.
It also gives me a sense of purpose, a reason for living that can't be lost or taken away from me.
 4. I want you to Love Me.
   Truly and with all my heart. I know it isn't strictly healthy, but it's important to me for you to know that I am over here doing my best for you. I want to make you happy, or help you feel all the things you just need to feel right now. I want so much to make you laugh, to lift you up when you are feeling down or alone. I need you to need me and my art in your life. It makes me feel useful and connected to you, which is key because I don't get out much.
 5. It's my Job.
   It can be easy to forget that many artists aren't just creating for fun or "playing around". We need your support to live and eat and to continue to create. I am always trying to come up with new ways to bring you art because, well, I've been doing this thing full time for 10 years and you may already have some of my art. I want to be able to provide you with something fresh that will make you just as excited to collect art from me today as you were when you chose that very first piece in your collection.
Since we are on the subject of supporting the arts, the newest painting below will be on view at Hunter-Wolff Gallery by March 18th, and you can check out the new print here, or by clicking on the image below.  I'd also love to hear about YOUR reasons for doing too many things at once, so please fill my ears in the comments. :)

And hey, you can support an artist for free by signing up for my email list, where you'll get a weekly-ish newsletter, dibs on brand new artwork, a peek inside my tiny brain and occasional art giveaways or discounts in my shop. Become one with me here-->  https://www.magicmirrorgallery.com/newsletter

 
When I created the painting Pie in the Sky in 2013 I had already been studying painting for a few years, but I was still really frustrated with my drawing skills. Frankly, I just didn't enjoy the practice because the results were often poor. Who loves sucking at things, right?

I'd been leaning very heavily on various methods of transferring an outline of my reference image to the canvas to guide my painting, and that resulted in leaving my freehand drawing skills very weak. It was uncomfortable to face, but I soon realized that I could never achieve the expressiveness that I admired in the work of my peers without overcoming that hurdle.
At the time it seemed an impossible thing to achieve, to cross the gap from where I was in my drawing study to where I wanted to be. A Pipe Dream, you know…nothing but Pie in the Sky.
But I actually think it's good to dream big. I also still think drawing is really hard.
Fortunately there are lots of free resources online that can help with that.

Pie in the Sky was part of my first year of freedom from the constraints of the fixed outline. I learned to truly love drawing in that year, and I am excited to revisit this theme of Dreaming Big a decade later.
I can't say I have mastered drawing, and I may never truly get there, but I have certainly made progress. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do!
I'll keep you updated on the progress of this new project. In the meantime, 
I temporarily have prints of the original Oil Painting
and the NEW Study available.

What is YOUR Achilles' heel when it comes to your work?
And do you have feelings about using mechanical means to transfer a reference image?