Stormy Watercolor Clouds

If you’ve been hanging out around these parts (of the internet) with me long enough, you probably already know that I’m pretty transparent.

I’m the first to call out my own shortcomings and I definitely am not the type to pretend I know more than I do. I often say that I’m always learning and that I will always have more to learn. And I truly believe that to be a wonderful thing.

Because of this, my community members know that inside Paint With Me, I’m actively learning alongside them.  I am so fortunate that these wonderful people give me grace as I transparently try new things and share my own failures. As a member pointed out to me previously, I am leading from ‘within’ instead of from way out in front.

Sometimes (because I’m only human) I wonder if my approach to guiding others is valid or good enough. But I read a quote a while back that echoes what I think those in my community might have already discovered about the space we’ve created:

"It's almost always better to learn from peers who are 2 years ahead of you than mentors who are 20 years ahead of you. Life evolves and most insights get outdated." - James Clear

My interpretation of this quote as it applies to watercolors is that although I may not be at “watercolor mastery” level, it actually might be easier to understand my approach because it is “closer” to the skill level of those I’m sharing with.

In other words, I’m sharing from 2 steps ahead rather than 20.

So why am I even writing about this today? Because I had a momentary lapse of self-doubt when I was working on this week’s YouTube video, which I posted today:

The video lesson is taken directly from a cloud exercise I shared inside the Paint With Me Community a year ago. I was hesitant to share this video because through my present-day eyes, I see so many things that I would have done differently along with all the flaws in the painting. The voice of my inner critic can be quite loud - as I’m sure you are familiar with since you’ve probably heard the same voice in your head at one point or another.

Despite that, this video is a marker in time for where I was on my journey at that specific moment. And what I shared in this video may be just the approach you need at this point on your journey. So, I’m sharing this in hopes that it meets you where you are at with what you need to know, right now.

If you want to join us inside to learn and explore alongside myself and a supportive group of friends, we would love to have you!

As always, thank you so much for being here.

Wishing you well,
Susan