Everyone begins somewhere. We don’t normally jump into mastery without a LOT of work, time and dedication. But when you think of this, most of us started our artwork on an inspiration or longing we couldn’t explain. We were “called” and responded. Its like a good religion or leap of faith thinking to yourself I am drawn to this for some reason and I’m going to take that leap. What a great beginning. Bless all those who are still there – beginning. May be struggling a bit, stuck and can’t figure out how to “fix it”.

Hardly anyone begins their art career/hobby/passion with instruction. We get a paint-by-number kit for birthday or Christmas, or we just start drawing and sketching on our own on a piece of binder paper and #2 pencil you use in school. Someone hears us say it would be fun to do that, and Walla, a birthday gift idea. Certainly nothing wrong with this, most of us began here.

Personal story here, I began that way as well. I painted on a card table in the living room, first with some of those little acrylic paints that came in a paint-by-number kit. You know those little round cylinders that are all hooked together. When the paint-by-number picture was finished I tried to get all the paint from the little tray I could squeeze out to paint another on my own. We didn’t have a lot of money in those days so I made do with what I had. Lived for art in school we had every Friday as a “reward” for getting work done and good behavior. I always made sure I did both so I would be eligible for art on those Fridays. During that time, they had no idea how important the arts are in children’s development.

There was nothing better than the first days of school when the small box of Crayons you were given were all new and shiny, with all their papers still on so you could read the color, and most importantly not broken. I remember opening that box and smelling that familiar and delicious Crayon smell. It was heaven to me!

Now with internet access it is easy for anyone thinking of pursuing an interest in art. There are a million YouTube tutorials to guide you, plus you can always plug into an art class with someone to guide you. I highly recommend connecting somehow to someone who can assist you in the beginning discovery days. There is so much to learn. Sometimes we fall into caverns we can’t get out of trying to figure out how to make our work even look “right”.

I struggled a bit with color in my adult years until I had instruction. Being able to figure out right proportions and even possibilities is not easy, it is a science and usually has to be taught. Instruction opens doors and makes the joy of art easier and more accessible. If you or you have someone you love in the beginning, or sometimes even advanced stages of making art, consider a course to learn new things and get over the humps of art challenges.