You know that feeling you get when you haven't painted in a while and you pick up that brush for the first time? That feeling of uncertainty that hits you when you hold that brush in your hand which is strange, because deep down you remember how this same act used to fill you with a sense of surity; secure in the knowledge that your skills are equal to the task set before you. So what do you do? What do you do when the wolves of hesitation, uncertainty and doubt come howling at your door?
You paint. You take all the conviction and enthusiasm you can muster and you lock them down before putting brush to a model. It's hard at first; it's like you're stretching muscles you haven't used in the longest time. They're sluggish and your brush controls isn't how it used to me, but you persevere and as you continue, things begin to change, Unperceivable at first, your skills begin to slowly sharpen as time-honed muscle memory begins to assert itself once more. You're nowhere near as good as you used to be, but you're better than you were when you started and that's a positive step forward.
Eventually, if you've got enough time to spare, you may be lucky enough to 'zone out' as it were - losing yourself in the act of painting until the wolves that were growling at your door when you first picked up the brush begin to quieten down, before gradually leaving altogether. You're not even sure at which point they left, but in the end they did and that's what matters.
With your first painting session completed, you're left with a flurry of mixed feelings. The elation that comes from painting is tempered by the critical eye you use to judge your efforts. You're not really happy with the work you've produced, but you know that it will take time until you're back to the level you're used to. Perseverance is the key to success and knowing this means that you're one step closer to not only returning to your old skill-level, but exceeding it entirely. With your first paint session down, you take what you've learned and you apply it to the next session and so on, until you're once again happy with the fruits of your labours.
Catch you all later
have had this recently... those wolves stood no chance =P
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