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When I started learning to paint, I spent a lot of time and energy analyzing what I was doing wrong. I continually focused on what was missing, how the painting wasn’t good enough. Fortunately I had mentors who encouraged me to break free of these negative thoughts and judgments. My work flourished and so did my enjoyment of the process.

Over time I have noticed that when I paint, I am completely free. As an artist, I do not ask myself: Why? When? What? Where? How?

The reason I don't ask these questions is because I know the answer is always "It is perfect the way it is."

That is what I love about art. No matter what it is, or where it is in the process, it is always perfect. Art is about the process every bit as much as it is about the product.

This photo is a perfect example. I could not figure out what to paint so I painted the canvas black. Before I finished I stopped, and it was perfect the way it was. With art, you never make a mistake because it is always perfect. You can do no wrong. You scratch the work and the scratch is supposed to be there. Art is always growing and changing. It has no right or wrong. No good or bad. No up or down. I love that. It gives me such freedom. I paint something, and if I don't like it, (which is not wrong because everything is perfect) I just paint over it. To live in a world where you can make no mistakes is nirvana.

I once did a painting, and while it was still wet I took it to the car to take it home. I stood it up by the car and while I was not looking, the Universe caused the paint to slide down the canvas. Upon my return my first reaction was upset (this was in my early days before wisdom set in.) Then I realized that it was perfect the way it was. That painting has become one of my most admired paintings. You never know how the masterpiece is going to emerge. You are the vehicle for the canvas to expose the painting that already exists. You are merely the messenger that facilitates the process.

So go out today and liberate your art from all right and wrong. Allow the Universe to create through you. Think of yourself as the messenger for your creative expression. And don’t shoot the messenger!

The Everywhereness of Art

Yesterday I was in the kitchen making a berry smoothie. As usual, I was on the phone, multitasking through my workday. You guessed it – I left the lid off the blender in my haste to do three things at once. Purple goo flew everywhere, including all over me. My first reaction was irritation at my own mistake. Quickly, the artist within me began to transform my interpretation of the situation, and I started admiring the colors and patterns that now adorned every surface in my kitchen.

Art is everywhere and art is anything. A canvas can appear when you least expect it. The artist must then decide to paint or not to paint.

Before I embraced the power of art, I would see a tree and think “Green Tree.” Now I look closely and marvel at the hundreds of greens that shift and change in the breeze. I see the shapes of leaves and the movement of branches. Everything is more alive now that I can appreciate the world through the context of art. A “Blue Sky” is now imbued with shades of gray, white, rose, and copper. A flower garden? Unlimited possibilities and passion. I see so many colors and I yearn to understand them. How would I re-create that red? What is that exact shade of yellow? The universe around us is the original artist, and she holds the ultimate paint box with the most diverse palette.

As I mopped up blueberry smoothie, I became uplifted instead of annoyed. The colors were inspiring, and I figured the blender was simply trying to express itself!

Allow yourself to be inspired by the everywhereness of art. In a dropped pile of papers see a collage. Celebrate the sculpture in that broken lamp. Savor the colors of your garden. You may not want to willingly remove the lid from your blender, but even when calamity happens, let your relationship with art transform each moment into personal inspiration.

Has serendipity had an impact on your art? I’d love to hear your story.

Ralph White