Just Do It

"You have to lift your head up out of the mud and just do it." - Teri Garr

"Everyone is different. Everyone has different styles. Just do it the best way you know how." -Vince Carter

^ What my upstairs hallway lacks in natural light it makes up for with cheery yellow walls, and many moons ago, I decided some monochromatic art would boost the vibe. 

Hey, I've got an idea. I'll run to the thrift store, grab a couple new frames, then make some art and hang them in the hall just outside my bedroom door. 

Said me about, oh, maybe two full years ago. 

^ One piece would have straight lines and the other curves. I decided that much long ago. 

I got the frames and hung them right where I wanted them. Perfection.

But when it came time to sit down and make some art, I froze.

Oh, I wanted to create something new. And I had ideas for what I might paint. Plenty of ideas. But for some reason, I could not settle down on a single pair of ideas. I kept changing my mind, looking for new inspiration, and giving myself permission to put off this project.

Ya, that last bit is the really important part.

^ I love the irregularity of the top piece. Yes, I know the darker sections are not straight and the bottom stripes do not light up precisely with the larger stripes above. That's the whole point. The beauty of imperfection.

I gave myself permission to put it off. And so this project gained weight, bogged down, and left me feeling underwhelmed with myself as two full years ticked by.

I felt bad every time I walked by those two frames, which by the way were full of semi-interesting art. But it just wasn't me. 

I wanted art that felt like me. 

Was I scared? Uncertain? Afraid of failure? Worried about what other people might think of my art?

Yes. 

No. 

Maybe. 

All of the above. 

^The swooping curves of the bottom piece zoom out of frame, double back on themselves, almost touch in several spots. They burst with life and energy. And that is their whole point. 

But last week, I hit a wall. Sick and tired of my indecision, I decided that I had run out of excuses for not making the art and was ready, come hell or high water, to just do it.

I still wasn't sure exactly what I was going to paint. 

But I knew for sure that something needed to happen. Now. So I scrolled through my inspiration photos one last time, trusted my instincts, and dove in.

And this is where I ended up.

^ A blurry red dog in a shadow-filled hall that, all the same, makes me smile every time I pass through. 

I know this is not the kind of art that would make everyone happy. But it makes me happy. 

Gracie seems fairly chuffed as well.

And I have taught myself the lesson once again that in this crazy life of ours, sometimes I have to stop worrying, stop obsessing, stop thinking about doing something and just do it. 

* * * * *

P.S. After composing this post, I had serious second thoughts about these photos. Too grainy. Too blurry, The colors too distorted, the reflections in the glass too disorienting, the whole effect a sodding mess. But then I remembered. Just do it. So I posted them anyway. Hope you enjoy.