Painting Tips & Tricks: 3. Stick to One Style...;)

3. Stick to One Style

That’s right: upon pain of death and artistic dismemberment, stick to a single, clear, easily recognized, algorithmically consistent style. Do not change. Do not experiment. Do not have fun.

Whatever you do, don’t do what I do.

“Commas!!!!” I shrieked gleefully, bursting from the bathroom door in nothing but a towel and the glow of inspiration. (Baths are when the ideas happen.) My husband, who after two and a half years is used to being married to an eccentric artist, has in fact learned to join in. After I explained the idea, which was to paint pictures of the Oxford commas that are frequently edited out of texts by enthusiastically strict anti-Oxford-comma editors, he proposed that the collection be called “Lost & Found,” which I’m extremely excited about. The latest addition is “Whom”, which has all but disappeared from our formerly precise English language. More lost items to come….

And this, along with the Staffordshire dogs and their portraits, the Lover’s Eye jewelry, the portraits of ladies under the stars, the storybook paintings of ladies with puffed sleeves, the Imaginiste watercolors, and so on, and so on…

Why do I do all these things? Well, they make me smile. And life, to be honest, is very challenging. In case you’re facing some challenges too, and you could use a smile, then I’m making them for both of us. Even if just seeing the Instagram post brightens your day just a little bit, then it’s worth doing, isn’t it?

The Instagram algorithm is happy when I do Lover’s Eyes, and it ignores me if I do anything else. I was warned this would happen, and I knew it would, and I’m not surprised, and I know it will happen again, but I can’t help it.

My website is as orderly as I can make it, but it’s still dreadfully all over the place. Why can’t I focus on one thing, like a water bottle, or a snuggie, or any of the multi-million dollar products at the heart of the successful businesses featured on Foundr?

I’m serious in this tip: STICK TO ONE STYLE!!!

But if you can’t, like me, then I suppose lean in to it, enjoy it, and go crazy.