What’s the risk is a question I should be asking myself more often when fear strikes. One of my greatest fears as a beginning artist is the blank page. Before I even put the pencil to the page thoughts of screwing it up are racing through my brain. I get over it. I put the pencil to the page and just start the sketch. Pretty soon I settle into the drawing exactly like I settle into a piece of writing. It flows and it grows and pretty soon it turns into something I like.
Now with writing, that’s a good thing, because I’m done. With illustrating, it just amps up the fear. I have a beautiful pencil sketch in front of me, tweaked until it’s exactly like the one I pictured in my mind. Now I have to apply color. Oh God, what if I ruin it? What if I overdo something I can’t dial back? What if the color pallet is just wrong? Now, once again in the project, I refuse to begin. Sometimes I actually leave the sketch on the drawing table for days before I’ll touch it.
Then today I came across some helpful advice. Just ask myself what’s the risk? What am I risking if I ruin the sketch? A piece of paper and pennies worth of medium? Can I live with that? Of course I can. The real problem lies with the time it took to do the sketch. I don’t want to do it over.
Ever had a V-8 moment? Why not just scan or copy the sketch before I add the color? Consider my forehead slapped. Such a simple solution to erase a debilitating fear.
Fear plagues us at every turn. Fear of the unknown has stopped bigger women than me. Maybe examining the risk involved can ease the way foreword, but even calculating the risks is a big leap. Nothing is ever for sure, 100%.
And so, as another day goes by, asking what is the risk may open new pathways to action, but the will to push forward is still required and therein lies bravery, and …I have written.
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