Never Give Up

Sometimes paintings get messy and so does life. But one thing painting has taught me is to never give up… see it through to the end. And most of the time, it’s worth the journey. So our next watercolor wisdom - lessons I’ve learned through watercolor that can be applied to life – is just that.

Never give up…

Painting, especially with multi-layered detailed paintings, requires patience and determination. In most paintings, you find yourself at a point when the painting looks absolutely terrible, even to the point that the artist might feel it can’t possibly be saved… especially if it’s an animal and the eyes and nose are not complete.

But since most paintings have that phase, you learn that you have to push through… keep going to get to the good part. If we gave up and threw the incomplete painting away, we’d never reach the final painting; and we’d never learn to enjoy the journey to get there. If we gave up, we’d never discover what we could accomplish. So much growth and learning happens as we push through, as we add the layers and details, as we discover how to resolve issues, as we create the final product. We can’t give up; we have to see it to the end.

Never give up… push through when the painting is a mess because it will begin to take shape. And that’s when it gets exciting. This wisdom also applies to someone learning watercolor or any creative medium. The journey can be frustrating, but keep practicing, keep painting, keep pushing towards what is possible. Pushing through will help us discover what is possible… what we can accomplish.

Life, too, can be messy with its struggles and challenges. We’ve certainly learned that the last few years, haven’t we? But it’s through those challenges, no matter how big or small, that we grow and learn and mature. Those challenges teach us how to find motivation, to discover the strength inside of ourselves, how to resolve issues, how to be a better person, how to survive. We can’t give up. We have to keep going. We have to believe that it will get better. And when we get to other side of that challenge, we can look back and sometimes see our growth, but the most important thing is that we pushed through and we made it.

When the painting or life get messy, sometimes ugly, don’t give up. Keep pushing through with grit and determination. And when you get to the other side (the completed painting or the end of that challenge), you’ll discover what you can accomplish. And sometimes what a sweet discovery that is.