You need no experience to create a good painting.
A “good” painting is simply one that you are proud of
(a relatively low bar, depending on your skill and expectations)
Before you begin,
Gather your colours—
The ones which bring you joy!
Or which you believe will make good art,
Great art, even Genius art.
Such colours may include:
The brown stick you used to draw in the sand,
The blue of parts of your mother’s eyes,
The pink of your own, bloodshot as they are,
The black of the boots that carried you through the mud
and snow and scattered past-ashes.
Now you have your colours.
Now you must pick a subject for your piece.
Dig deep! it’s in there somewhere.
Even if you strike a memory you enjoy;
Even if you find yourself buried;
Keep digging; it’s in there somewhere.
Keep digging until you’ve found the best of ideas;
Keep digging even if some dirt falls into your mouth;
Keep digging even if something crawls into your ear to lay its eggs;
It’s in there somewhere!
Keep digging! until your life must be saved by this painting;
Keep digging! even if your shovel breaks and your hands are raw and bleeding;
Keep digging! even if the eggs of that something have hatched and begun to munch at your
eardrum, each bite a beat in the mantralike chanting of brain-burrowed nostalgia
bees;
It’s in there somewhere!
Keep digging! until you hear those bees begin to buzz!
Keep digging! even if the eggs lay their eggs and the pattern repeats!
Keep digging! even if the sunlight no longer brings to you its—
You found it? How nice.
Did you bring your colours? How nice.
Did you bring your brush?
Did you bring your easel?
