The Benefits of Awkward

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​LOL - not that break in the conversation that makes you feel nervous!  I'm talking about that feeling of "I-don't-know-how-to-do-this" followed closely by "what will everyone think?"

Feeling awkward. 

​We all experience it and most of us hate it. But as I've been pursuing my art and expanding my skills, I'm starting to notice benefits and trends associated with awkward. 

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Plain Simple Truth:

1. Everyone doesn't really notice.
2. Most people don't know how to do something they've never done before. 
3. Awkward appears to be necessary for learning a new skill.

So I've been learning about landscapes from a really talented artist recently. He's an incredibly laid back, "let's experiment with this" kind of person. And he's not afraid of making mistakes. Looking awkward.  It's very inspirational! 

I started to enjoy painting landscapes, even though I'm continuing to paint roses, desert flowers and cactus skeletons (I can't wait to show you my newest which is nearly done). I've added a couple of dreams that were set in landscapes. (You'll see one next month when I announce that it's showing at the Herberger). Anyways . . .

I got this great idea to paint my favorite Arizona landscapes - red rock country.  Sedona. Monument Valley. The Grand Canyon. Breathtaking scenes. Pretty exciting, right?  

What a disaster! My colors were so off. Pink? Red? Orange? How on earth do I capture the incredible colors I'm seeing?  Awkward. I felt totally awkward. I was ready to give up and not admit I had even tried because it was so awkward.

Art can be quite the puzzle to solve!

​Then I remembered that awkward is necessary for learning a new skill. I'm not letting awkward stand in my way.

​I decided to spend some time in Sedona. I used color chips to hold up against cliffs, hiked a trail to see colors up close and took lots of photos with my husband's help.  I've been mixing paints and choosing palettes (totally awkward - just being real). And I've actually been discovering some cool things and coming up with some new ideas.  It's back to being exciting. 

I hope this inspires you to take a chance and learn a new skill that you've always wanted to learn.  It's going to be awkward at first.  Maybe for a while!  But there's something exciting about learning something new. It's challenging. Maybe someone will mention that it looks awkward.  Who cares! You'll get better at it and that same person might ask you to show them how you did it.  It happens!

What's that famous saying - "seize the day?"  Sounds awkward to me. 

​Don't let that stop you!