I am a person that, when I work on a project, it must be "perfect" ... no flaws or mistakes and it must be executed without hesitation. As ridiculous as that sounds, it was that approach I started out with when painting furniture & home decor.
It took me weeks to paint one item and, while working on it, rather than feeling calm, I had voices in the back of my head telling me how ugly it was or that I sucked compared to other people.
Why am I comparing myself to other people? Isn't this supposed to be relaxing? Where is the teacher or looking over my shoulder getting ready to grade me. NOWHERE! As I start to settle into my mid-life, I am learning how to let go of all those I felt judged by in the past. As a small business owner, I don't have anyone telling me how I could have done it better or ask for multiple revisions.
Painting can bring a beautiful balance in life. IF you can still your mind long enough, you can start a piece with one idea, start connecting with it and the result can be completely different from what you originally imagined.
Everyone has a different style and I have decided mine to be "imperfectly perfect." Some will argue that this is grammatically incorrect, but when used with the correct context it has a magical way of bringing confidence.
Every person and piece you are painting has imperfections. No matter how much you sand, paint or stain, you may never remove the knicks or scratches. It's those imperfections that make a piece absolutely perfect to give a new look and a new life.
So... next time you pick out a color and pick up your brush, throw caution to the wind and just paint. Take your time, become familiar with your piece and know that if you don't like the color, you can always repaint it.