The Importance of Choosing
True freedom lies in consciously choosing what matters most and letting go of the rest. For overthinkers, this can feel impossible.
The Reality Check
Eight days into the new year, my paints and sketchpad are still on the shelf.
Things have been “busy.”
You know how it goes: catching up on YouTube videos, checking my macros, meeting friends. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about what I want to make next… a lot.
Some would call it overthinking.
The list of things I want to do grows endless: Sargent-inspired portraits, still life studies with just a biro, square landscape paintings of Cornwall, epic wide-angle views of Scotland, and a new watercolour course.
I procrastinate, and before I’ve even begun, I have lost some momentum in executing these ‘amazing’ ideas.
Understanding Resistance
In Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art,” he talks about ‘resistance’ – that mysterious force that stops us from doing what we should be doing. Every creative experiences it. As Pressfield writes:
“Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, the War of Art
Understanding that happiness, contentment, and calm come from overcoming resistance helps you take steps to work through it.
The Overthinking Trap
I tend to get stuck in the weeds – I analyse framing options before drawing the first line, think about international shipping fees before getting my first order, and research every camera and printer option on the market before deciding which painting to turn into a print.
These tendencies can be fantastic for idea generation or interdisciplinary thinking, but what they’re not so good at is a focus.
The (self-inflicted) pressure to ‘specialize’ can mean it’s easier not to paint anything for fear of painting the wrong thing.
A Solution: Pick One
Here’s my proposal for a personal New Year creative experiment, and I invite you to try it yourself:
Pick one.
Just one format, one medium, one subject.
The key is knowing that you’re not abandoning all other ideas – they’re just waiting their turn. This might feel a little uncomfortable as your ego jumps in to say, ‘You could do more’.
When you’re painting, the goal is an appreciation for those fleeting moments of pure creation.
Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is to simply begin.
If you’re looking for a course that has one image, one path, you might enjoy the following single project courses:
Modern Still Life
Cornish Seascape
How to Paint a Monet Landscape
You should DEFINATELY come to the Highlands!! I’d even buy you a coffee
Overthinking, overplanning, overorganizing….!! Thanks for these great words, Will!! Here’s to choosing one and simply beginning! Happy New Year.
cheers will I ordered the book war of art hope you are well and doing ok kindest regards
Good one Stephen, hope you find it helpful.
Thank you to bringing this forward.
I also really know this procrastinating problem. What usually helps me is to write down the whole process so that I don’t have to keep all these thoughts active in my mind. I then define what the first step should be and the next. Little steps that seem easy to achieve even if I only have a short periods of time to do something. When I stop I make sure that I have plan for the next step even if it is as simple as: ‘add more shadows’..
This helps me to get started or to keep going.
Hi Will.
Happy New Years. I’m glad you put light on this. Unfortunately people are sometimes their own worst enemy and often it’s hard to get through. Hard to see it. Sometimes takes years to sort out. Any art form is a special characteristic of humans, and like fingerprints, it’s unique for each person. You’ve been such a terrific source for learning to paint, inspiration, encouragement. I’m very grateful.
So pleased to hear it Laura.
Sounds good.
Thank you for writing and Happy New Year.
Hi Will!
Thank you for continuing to encourage and cheer us on. You meet us where we are in our artistic journey and help us find our own paths. I’m grateful that you honour each of your students as they grow and thrive. Wishing you joy in this New Year, from British Columbia Canada.
Thanks for your kind wishes Lori
Thank you so much for your soothing insights, Will. It’s calming to know that others struggle just as much. This month I decided to focus on just one subject in my sketchbook. It’s been incredibly liberating and fun. I keep possibilities open and if other ideas emerge I just let it flow. But focusing on one idea allowed me to get started and to keep going. (And I’m a HUGE procrastinator!)
Great to hear the single focus has been working well!
Hi Will. I enjoyed reading your blog post on achieving one’s painting goals. Just what I needed to hear today–the 8th of January, and still not painting a single things since before Christmas. My question: I already receive your emails. I am wondering if I should sign up for your new Art School Newsletter–or am I already receiving it? I am an artist too–working most recently in oils, but I love watercolors too, and soft pastels. I enjoy reading your emails and practicing along with your free lessons and practicing your tips. I live in Colorado, so the landscape and weather is quite different here from England–and many of your posts transports me right across the ocean to your world, climate, and landscapes/waterscapes.
Thank you for inspiring artists like me. Don’t quit! Happy New Year!
Linda K. Bridges
https://art.lindakbridges.com
Hey Linda, yes, the emails are the same as the art school newsletter.
Cheers,
Will
Hello,
Thank you for this very informative course. What you describe is exactly the way I am feeling at the moment. The « pick one » advice is the one I’ll stick to. Wishing you a happy and creative New Year. Odile
Hi Will, Happy New Year! Thanks so much for your wise advice. I am really struggling to find my focus , so everything you and the others have said really resonates! Keep posting, it is such a help! X
So pleased Tina
Thank you Will for such an insightful newsletter. Every word resonates with me as well. It’s good to hear that even professionals experience the same angst. My procrastination causes me to promise myself that once I’ve tidied my art room and the piles of stuff that has accumulated since before Christmas, I will then start!!! The tidying is the easy bit. I plan for 2025 to be the year I break free from this.
That’s great to hear Wendy.
Hi Will,
You are spot on. To many choices, hard to choose where to start. I will find focus on one thing.
Thank you,
Les
Thank you for sharing this perspective. It’s spot on in terms of my procrastination tendencies and offers a calming strategy.
That’s so great to hear Suzanne
Thank you Will for letting us know that even a professional such as yourself has these feelings. Sharing your knowledge and inspiration goes a long way to helping the amateur (me) to plan a way forward. Recently reading about your 20 minute drawing regimen each morning has encouraged me to make sure my pad and pencil will be with me when I have my morning cup of coffee. Looking forward to 2025 creations. Jan
Will, apologies for the long comment below, but judging by the other comments, your post resonates with many of us.
You mention Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art” about ‘Resistance’ and, for students, young or old, struggling with their goals, I would like to endorse that – this could be their ‘must-read’ book of 2025, whether artist or otherwise.
I discovered the book a month or so ago and read it through (a short book, not an easy read) but is the sort of book that, once read, needs revisiting regularly. I now simply dip into it, read a couple of chapters (most chapters are less than a page), and then resolve what ‘Resistance’ is holding me back.
Substitute ‘artist’ for writer and one key I’ve taken onboard is – “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.” . . . . and the book goes on to identify the many elements of ‘Resistance’.
And now, after 13 months of trying, but not picking up my paintbrush, I’m happily on my way again, thanks mainly to this book. (available widely and on audio too I believe) I hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Richard, and experience with the War of Art, much appreciated.
Will
Hi Will and Happy New Year. Thank you for this sage advice. Whenever I see people asking for recommendations for a course or teacher for beginner or improver painters, I always recommend you. I’ve mentioned your courses on the Art Kula website often. I know that members have checked you out, so I wish you continued success. Hope you’re enjoying your brew and biscuits whilst considering all your options!
Thanks Julie, very much appreciated.
No question about it, Will, you definitely hit the spot and I join everyone who has already thanked you. I am practising the art of imperfection in more aspects of the daily round than might be imagined. The Just One Thing sits perfectly alongside this.
So pleased Gail.