Mandy Martin
Sep 22, 20191 min
It is so much fun to see the likes and comments piling up on social media! It's an instant pleasure shot to the brain, but I often catch myself spending way more time than I meant to scrolling on my Instagram feed.
Lately I've been more intentional about committing time to be in my studio. A painter I follow, Amira Rahim, really drives home the importance of putting time into creative development.
"Nail down your process and learn to paint an infinite variety of original and high-quality paintings. This requires focus and dedication. Many will place all of their energy on vanity metrics (like and comments on social media) instead of harnessing the power of a dedicated studio practice. " - Amira Rahim
Every day I have a goal of being in my studio by 8:30am and dedicating at least an hour to painting straight away. My process involves a lot of wet paint (and water spray bottles!) so after about an hour I need to step away and let those layers dry. I will return to my studio several times that day to keep working.
One thing I know for sure is that even if I am discouraged, if I keep showing up and moving the paint around the canvas, it all adds up and paintings will get finished.