Masha du Toit

I have learnt so much from so many art teachers. Some ideas that have become part of my personal “positioning system” as an artist. I will share these thoughts in this series of posts. This is my way of re-paying that debt in a small way.

What my art teacher taught me: Dont Be Scared

Whether you are painting, drawing, embroidering – whatever the medium – dont tiptoe around your own creation in fear of “messing it up”. You may feel the parts that work happened by accident, and that you cannot repeat them.

Fact: If you did it once, you can do it again. After all it was you who made it happen in the first place. Forget words such as “overworked”, “busy”, “labored”. You will learn more by pushing through than by hanging back. A space created by erasing what was there is richer than one which was never filled. With this comes the responsibility to be honest. Does it really work? If I re-do it, will it be better?

My art teacher taught me: Dont Be Scared.

P.S.  I have since found this post at Laini Taylor’s blog.  She writes about her creative process and ends off with:

— BE OPEN. Cast your imagination wide. Don’t be afraid to think of new things and go in whole new directions.
— BE BRAVE. New ideas may come to you now that will require a ton of new work. This can be overwhelming, but this is your chance to make the book the best it can be. Do whatever you need to do.
— BE EXCITED. Anything can still happen. This is marvelous. You can still dazzle yourself.
— BE DETERMINED. You can do it, and you will do it.