I have students who email me saying they’ve painted in the past, but are taking a break.
They still read and enjoy the tutorials, but don’t feel like they could give them a go. They don’t feel they could start again because they’re back at ground zero.
But I want you to know that hesitancy to start painting again has nothing to do with your skills.
You know how to mix colours, and you’ve got an empty canvas ready to go!
What’s gone is your belief that it’ll be good.
This January, I’ve had tons of household stuff to catch up on and new courses I’m researching, but alongside all that, I’ve been putting time aside to paint daily.
But what happens when the day doesn’t go to plan?
You miss one or two days, and it doesn’t change much.
But when you’ve missed a week, something begins to shift.
What about a month? A decade?
What I’ve discovered through my own practice is that the barrier to returning to painting isn’t lost skill—it’s lost confidence.
The Forgetting Curve and the Confidence Gap
We’ve previously looked at the forgetting curve, which shows us that we forget new knowledge at a surprisingly quick rate.
But this is something different.
The longer you wait, the more the psychological pressure builds.
It’s irrational.
Anxiety builds to such a point that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Procrastinating Painter
Timothy A. Pychyl, PhD, author of ‘Solving the Procrastination Puzzle’, is a procrastination researcher.
Through his research, he’s found that putting things off isn’t really about not having the time to do them, but about avoiding the perceived negative emotions that will come with the thing you’re procrastinating on.
“Procrastination isn’t a time management problem; it’s an emotional management problem. We have negative emotions attached to some tasks….we feel frustration, boredom, resentment or anxiety. By putting off the task, we put off those emotions, and that’s the crazy self-defeating nature of it all.”
– Timothy A. Pychyl (https://maryannjacobsen.com/stop-procrastinating-with-tim-a-pychyl-podcast/
We’re avoiding the negative emotion that we’ve suddenly become terrible artists!
Miss one day and you’re a painter who took a break.
Miss a month, and you become someone who used to paint.
Build Evidence, Not Motivation
Keeping a record of your past work matters.
It can be a quick snap on your phone (Here’s how to take better iPhone shots of your paintings) or one of the pieces you’re most proud of displayed where you can see it.
When doubt creeps in after a break, you need something tangible to look back on, proof that you were once in that zone, that you did create something you were proud of.
And this leans into another strange thing that happens with creative work: when you finish a painting, you immediately see only the flaws. Every wrong mix, every misaligned feature. You’re intensely critical.
So it makes it even harder to come back to your paintings after a break, because alongside the doubt, you will see the work more harshly when you’ve first finished it.
However, come back a week later, you’ll look at the same piece and think, “Who painted that?” You’re genuinely surprised by its quality.
This happens to all artists.
How to beat procrastination with Procatalepsis
Procatalepsis comes from the Greek: pro (before) + katalepsis (seizing or grasping).
When debating a point, it’s a way of highlighting your own shortcomings before your opponent can voice them towards you.
You’re doing the same thing, except the opponent is your own resistance.
This is particularly effective against procrastination because procrastination often disguises itself as legitimate concern. Your brain says, “I should wait until I’m more prepared” or “Maybe tomorrow when I’m fresher”, and these sound reasonable.
Here’s how you might use it for returning to portrait painting:
“I know the proportions are going to feel off in the first few attempts. The eyes won’t sit right, the nose will be too long, or the mouth too small. That’s not me forgetting how to paint, that’s my eye being sharper than my hand right now, which means my eye still works. The hand will catch up.”
You’re facing the fact that, of course, this won’t be your most accurate painting ever, how could it be!
By anticipating both your artistic doubts and your delay tactics, you can move forward.
Confidence Comes From the Work Itself
If you’re in the midst of an artist block, the answer isn’t to think harder about what you’ve lost or to wait to be inspired. It’s to reduce the friction of starting again.
Pick up the brush.
Copy something simple.
Let your hands remember what your mind has temporarily forgotten.
You’re not just practising the skill. You’re practising the courage to show up again, even when the distance to where you want to be feels insurmountable.
Your painting skills aren’t lost; you just need the evidence to believe in them again.
Will
Hi Will,
Agree completely. I realize that it’s actually a thing to get back in the saddle again after being off for a while. We are weaker. But not for long. It seems to work itself out just fine. Thanks for the nudge. Cheers. -Laura
Cheers Laura.
Hi Will, due to a change in circumstances, I haven’t had the time or inclination to paint in the past few months. However, something similar has happened before and I found returning to work on 7×5 inch boards for a while helped me get back in. Anything too big was overwhelming, but this felt manageable. Any day now, I’ll be reaching for my postcard boards!
Thanks for your posts. They’re always interesting.
Cheers Sarah, yes, the smaller and less overwhelming often is the best way to start again, so pleased you’ve been enjoying the posts.
Will
Hi Will, This post has come at just the right time. I haven’t painted since mid-August and have been putting off starting again even when I have had time. I will always find something else to do instead. Now I need to get back to it because I have been asked to paint a portrait for a friend and I am feeling very anxious. Thanks for your tips. No more procrastination!
Regards
Toni
Hey Toni, What you’re describing is incredibly common, and it has very little to do with your ability. Time away quietly inflates the sense of risk, so when we return it can feel as though far more is at stake than there really is.
Will
You have hit the nail on the head, Will. I loved sketching and watercolour painting at school and was good at copying but I haven’t had the confidence to take it up again for 50 years, despite being given an easel, paints and brushes some years ago. No real excuse apart from fear of disappointment.
Hey Laura,
When you loved drawing and painting at school, picking it up again can feel as though you’re putting that younger version of yourself on the line and the fear of disappointment is so real. The results usually turns out to be far kinder than the fear suggests.
Will
Hi Will
Thank you for your nudge, just what I need, I havn’t painted for a while, get out the paints and walk away, Hopefully with your encouragement I will pick up the brush again.
Norma
That’s great to hear Norma, pleased you’re feeling inspired.
Will
Hi Will , I also continue to read , reply ,anything but get to the easel , prep canvas ,draw out the next masterpiece , list new paint I need before I can start or a brush ….the last paragraph you said it best (pick up the brush),it can also be far greater than you’d expect …
Thanks Kim, yes, picking up the brush really can make all the difference.
Will
Will, you are my hero artist, the best of hearts.
Your kind thoughtful article is synchronicity for me!
I have been so hard working on my sacral chakra and returning after too long to my creative gifts. Today is the day! and your beautiful reinforcement came…
You made me finally understand being in love with a so talented an artist whose work I love so much, and support, and promote, I have made myself feel and be the lessor. And that is, as you say, is at the bottom of all these weeks of procrastination. I wondered why my romantic happiness was not about inspiration, which it should be…
Thanking you so deeply for this deep deep deep personal awakening.
Much Gratitude
Love and Light always to you
❤️❤️
Rozana
Miami Beach USA
Hey Rozana, I’m really glad the article met you when it did, and even more glad that it helped clarify what had been quietly getting in the way. That moment of recognition, where things suddenly click and the fog lifts, can be very powerful.
Will
Very true. I have 5 unfinished canvasses. none are terrible, none fabulous – but thanks to your tuition Will they are better than past work. I would rather start something new than risk making a total mess of them.
Hey Julie, ahh yes, the in-between stage of pieces can be some of the hardest to start again. Glad you’ve been finding the courses of help.
Hi Will, thanks for this article. It does help put lack of confidence in perspective. I retired last year and wanted to do a painting for my former employer- an engineering company. As a welder in my younger years, I wanted to paint someone welding a job with sparks and light rays. I was super critical of my work and honestly thought that as soon as I took it to them, they’d quietly skip it. This thought nearly prevented me going in. Of course they accepted it with good grace and I needn’t have worried. Six months later and I’ve embarked on another engineering-themed painting for them. This one is a geometric ‘nightmare’. I’ve absolutely no idea yet how I’ll achieve the shapes and strokes, but I’ve started the sketching out. At the end of the day it’s just a painting.
Hey Keith, pleased you could relates, and you’re right. At the end of the day, it is just a painting. But it’s also proof that confidence often follows action, not the other way around.
Will
There’s a lot of truth here.
Even as amateurs, we have to have a little bit of professionalism when it comes to commitment. For my part, I’ve been telling myself, “I’m going to paint at least one canvas a week, and then I’ll see what happens,” and that’s what I’ve been doing.
That’s so great to hear.
Hi Will, There is so much wisdom in today’s post – the reminder to be less judgmental of my painting skills and keep on doing what I love most. I am going to take some of this to work on a challenging coastal scene. Thank you, Donna
Go for it Donna!
Great advice as always Will – I really needed this right now – many thanks
Thanks Gloria, pleased it was well timed for you.
Hi Will – your post is just what I have been telling myself – but not so politely!! You are so right – the longer you wait for the right ‘conditions’ the worse it gets. I just try to start drawing anything at all – with anything at all and resign myself to using any paper or canvas I can find! Some times it works and sometimes it takes longer. Also reminders of past work I was pleased with – also helps.
Thanks Will.
Liz
Hey Liz, I’m glad you could relate to some of the points in the post. Waiting for the right conditions or the perfect paint really can hold us back, and I love the way that you’re just getting into the flow with whatever is close at hand in your studio. Glad you enjoyed it, Liz.
Fear is the root of all problems…..
So true, i will pick up my brushes and Canvas after reading this reftreshing article!
So pleased you’re feeling inspired Camille!
Hi Will,
This page just “warms my heart”
Thanks
Best greeting, Coby
Thanks Coby.
Yes I agree that the size of your canvas can really make a difference. I attend art class once a week and now take a 30x30cm canvas which i can finish in 2.5 hours. I also enjoy using the smaller canvas boards to follow your step-by-step lessons. I have learnt so many good things from your excellent tuition. Thank you for your time and attention in your articles. I recommend you to all my artist friends.
Thanks so much for the recommendations Syl much appreciated.
Will
Hi Will: This is such a timely message for me as I have been putting off starting a new painting, exactly for the reasons that you have outlined. So, I will start today!
Thank you for being the wonderful and inspiring artist that you are.
That’s great to hear Pamela! have fun with your painting.
Will
This is great advice on how to overcome procrastination and just get going. I went to art school 30 years ago, and while I did well in drawing, I never got to very far in painting. I was poor, and every time I ‘wasted’ paint on a poor painting, I just saw my funds drifting away. In fact I ended up running out of money for school and had to get a job. Now in my 50s, getting back into art and trying to learn to paint (after doing the same in my 30s and then 40s and failing), I still have the same hesitancy, and it’s the same thing, only now its not only money, but time spent. “Is it really worth spending two hours on something that’s going to not be good?” “Do I really have 10,000 hours (or whatever) to really improve if I’m also working 40 hours a week, raising a family, etc”. I’ve had your basic acrylic course for two years, I haven’t even completed the first painting yet (I have done several of your free ones on youtube). I really thought I would be retired by now and would have hours and hours a day to dedicate to painting, but as you mention, that’s sort of a false expectation. And fully “embracing the suck” ie. knowing that I’m not going to be satisfied with the results for a while will help overcome the fear of “wasting” time, or paint, or canvas, etc, is part of the process.
Looking forward to this year’s journey.
Jonathan
Hey Jonathan, thank you for writing this so honestly. What you’ve described is far more common than people admit, and none of it is a personal failure. It’s a perfectly rational response to years of pressure, scarcity, and expectation.
Those two hours aren’t being spent on “a painting that isn’t good.” They’re being spent on becoming someone who paints.
The outcome is almost irrelevant at this stage. What matters is weakening the fear response and strengthening the habit of starting.
Will
Hi, yes, this makes perfect sense. I’d been using water soluble oils for a long while to paint landscapes and I had become really quite confident with them. But then I switched to using acrylics again for something entirely different, more abstract and mixed media. I recently went back to using oils and I feel at a complete loss! Nothing is coming out how I wanted it to be because I feel really anxious and tentative. And I realise I’m trying to finish a painting that I started about six months ago which is a really challenging subject. So this makes sense – what I will do is start with something smaller in oils, a simpler subject which is more manageable and build up my confidence in using oils again and then go back to this other painting that I want to finish. Thank you Will – so helpful as always!
Hey Susan, So pleased that you enjoyed the article, I’m really pleased you recognised what was happening instead of pushing harder against it.
Will
I started my painting journey in 1975 (2014) All of my courses have been taken online. Since I was already managing my own websites, I decided to create a website that I could use to document and keep a record art adventure. I am sure that many of you students (I consider myself as one of your students) keep records of some sort–the actual painting, photos, and a digital display. Here is a line to my website, which I named Theosart.space (https://www.theosart.space/). All the best, Jack (I am working on the oil course right now—the Lemon).
Thanks for sharing Jack, I’m so pleased you’ve been finding the tutorials and courses helpful.
Will