"Frustration isn't always such a bad thing. It's a
sign that you're trying something new, different, or outside your level of
familiarity, and in working your way through it (and you will) you conquer this
challenge and move on to the next one." -- Start Your Week with Steve, a free enewsletter from artist Steve Henderson
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Life is not always a cup of tea, but a break to enjoy that "cup of tea"
enables us to endure, and conquer, our frustration. Tea by the Sea,
an original oil painting, signed limited edition print,
and note card by Steve Henderson.
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One of the most satisfying things I do is teaching another
person how to knit. And every time I do so, I conclude the lesson with this
encouragement: "You've just learned. While knitting is fairly simple
consisting of basically two stitches, until you practice and do it over and over and over, you will not get good.
"And in the process of practicing, and learning how to be
good, you will find that you forget some things, or that your knitting looks
uneven, or that you drop stitches and you don't know how to get back. And you
will get frustrated.
Not only is this normal, but this is good, and if you're
not getting frustrated, then you're probably not pushing yourself beyond your
existing skill. You are not stupid. You are not unusual. You are not
weird. You are normal. You are above normal when you accept the challenge, fight
it, and win. Now, go and knit."
This same advice applies in anything you do, including and
especially including creating a fine art painting or sculpture. You won't get
better if you don't practice those oil painting techniques and push yourself with new painting instruction; and if you do it a lot and push yourself outside your existing painting skills, you can expect to get
frustrated because you are getting somewhere.
So, go get frustrated.
--Carolyn