A large number of the survey responses were about having trouble finding a subject to paint or one that will make a good painting. Some folks were concerned about finding the right subject to make an interesting painting or one strong enough to get viewer's attention.
I have a few suggestions that might help.
1. PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF
A painting will not be interesting if you are not interested in the subject. So pay attention to things you pay attention
to. No subject is more interesting than another. It is the individual's attitude towards it that makes it interesting. A painter who really enjoys studying debris in a lake can make a painting just as interesting or exciting as one who enjoys looking at flowers.
There is no limit to subject matter in our world. But what counts for the artist is to respond to the subject matter
that one is drawn to. It really doesn't matter what it is- what matters is that it got your attention, if just for a few moments.
2. AVOID CATEGORIZING YOURSELF
One thing that often stymies artists is that they think they must belong to a category. THAT is a myth. An artist is an artist who
just happens be pulled towards certain kinds of painting or a particular medium or even specific kinds of images. Free yourself from any expectation of fitting into somebody else's preconceived slot. That, too, can go a long way towards finding subjects to paint.
3. ALLOW YOURSELF TO PLAY
Who says you must do an exhibitable painting every time you put brush to canvas or paper. That, too, is a myth. Make a
promise to yourself that at least 50% of what you do is purely playing with ideas, studying options or just doodling whether in a sketchbook, on napkins, paper bags or even wet sand.
That, too, will open you up to finding subjects to paint. These don't even need to be towards a painting. They just serve to keep
your inner artist awake and active and THAT can will draw you to subject that you might have otherwise ignored.
Yielding to the expectations of other people can stifle you quicker than almost anything else. In the long run, nothing you do as
an artist is anybody's business but yours. Whenever you yield to expectations of other people, you are denying yourself the freedom to make you own choices. Trust how YOU feel about what you do as an artist.
Give these suggestions a try. The only way they can fail is if you don't try them. Having spent the past 50+ years painting and teaching
painting, the one thing I have learned is that the only way sure way to fail is to do nothing.
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