Too often, it's easy for me to stop painting. I get distracted extremely easily by other things. Having four children at home with me can be pretty distracting. ;) I might say to myself, "I'll just take a little break." But those two days can quickly turn into six, or 30. And before I know it, I've gone two months without picking up a paintbrush.
I'm actively trying not to let that happen again. Don't get me wrong, I think taking breaks to clear my head and gather inspiration is a great thing. But if I let it go for too long, I find myself rusty when I open my paints again. Feeling unsure of myself and my abilities.
I've noticed that my biggest growth by far comes when I am painting every day, or close to it. The more I paint, the more comfortable I am stretching the limits, trying new things, or just being fine making a bunch of bad art. (Making bad art sometimes is essential to finding a breakthrough in your practice). Fear is pushed aside and creativity swarms in, uninhibited.
This is why I'm fighting through this limbo I seem to be in recently. I talked about it on Instagram the other day. I mentioned that I'm stuck between envisioning what I want to paint, and then seeing what I actually paint. Big dreams are constantly swirling in my head, but it's not easy to pin them down and paint them. They are completely abstract at the moment, but I will know it when I am finally able to capture them. I feel THIS CLOSE to reaching them, so another long break will not happen for awhile over here.