A painter ponders using failure to become a better human
I have watched it happen.
The Cover-Up
A painting that is an ‘almost’ needs more paint on top. That much is obvious to even a beginner. Less obvious is the fact that leaving some of the original layers showing can greatly enhance the finished work. The beginner will blindly cover everything losing the wonderful opportunity to layer. They don’t yet understand, layers can be good.
Life isn’t any different. We want to cover our mistakes — completely.
There is another way to live. Instead of pretending that we didn’t make that big goof-up, we can look it in the face and learn from it. In that way, we enhance our lives and make the next layer, the next chapter, more worthwhile.
Denial is a Nasty Habit
Denial nips learning in the bud. Ouch!
If that purple you just added doesn’t work in the painting, denial will not move the painting to a better place.
Denying that you were mistaken in something you said to a friend will not help you grow personally. It won’t do much for that friendship either.
Watch out — optimism can be a stickler. There are moments when optimism needs to step aside. Blind optimism can become denial, and lose the opportunity for learning from our mistakes.
Mistakes can move us forward, but only if we let them.
Add Interest and Texture
In my eyes, a tidy painting doesn’t have the appeal that a painting with bold free brush strokes does.
Isn’t that what everyone loves about van Gogh? Those thick luscious brush strokes? Paintings where brush strokes are allowed to be less than perfect have genuine appeal.
Similarly, people who are not afraid to admit mistakes are attractive too. It’s those layers of a genuine life that make them stand out.
People who admit their mistakes and have learned from them have a lot to share with others.
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.
– Brene Brown
That’s part of what makes me a successful art instructor. I make many mistakes when painting. When something goes wrong, I pay attention to precisely what, and how to fix it so I can share that in my art courses. I have 35 years of mistakes to share — heheh – and some successes too.
That Prickly Ego
It’s easy to be caught up in protecting our ego. Easy to forget to be human.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to keep going that matters.
– Winston Churchill
Mistakes in life, even those painful ones, can be golden. The painful ones in particular are a big nudge toward change. Not to hide away, but to learn from. Not to deny, but to think about — what should I do differently?
Take Away
You have seen it; that perfect life on social media where every mistake is completely covered over. This is not real or healthy. Instead, consider…
Recognizing and learning from our mistakes is a grab for freedom. Free from pretending. Free to make changes. Free to be who we are – human.
This does take courage, but there are potential rewards too. This fearless approach toward mistakes encourages creativity and authenticity, both highly valued in today’s plastic world.
As a richly layered painting speaks deeply to the viewer; a richly woven life where every mistake matters is refreshingly real.
To be alive, truly alive, is to make mistakes. Embrace them, learn, and live life to the full.
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