I recently volunteered to help some family move halfway across the country. It was my job to drive the 26-ft truck, hauling a car behind it. Before I left, my friends all asked, "but ... why are you doing this?" I didn't have an answer except, "... it could be fun?"
And it was! Even though tons of things went wrong. including the truck breaking down and having to completely un- and re-load into a new truck, and it raining while everything was out on the pavement. And pulling into a hotel one night only to realize there was no way out and no way to turn around. Oh, I've got stories. But it was an ADVENTURE (with capital letters). A chaotic, exhausting, laugh-about-it-later bonding experience none of us will ever forget.
I'm trying to look at my art like this too. If I only ever do what is safe and easy, not only is it boring, but I never land on anything new. Being adventurous is hard and scary, but I'm trying to embrace it. Saying YES more often. Jumping into the deep end.
I still don’t show you most of the messy results. But what I learn in those risky, “why-am-I-doing-this” moments absolutely feeds the pieces you do eventually see.
So I’m leaning into it more: more yeses, more experiments, more willingness to let things go sideways. Because even when the truck breaks down in the rain… sometimes you still end up with a story worth telling.
(And occasionally, a painting worth keeping.)
