Last week my fox went dark.
I'm working on a new painting, and in my head I could feel what I wanted it to be—light, atmospheric, soft and feminine.
But a few painting sessions in, I stood back and thought... hmmm.
Somewhere along the way, my dreamy fox had become decidedly moody.
I rarely begin a painting with a detailed plan or finished mockup. Usually I have a feeling, a vague impression of where I want to go, and then I let the painting and I figure it out together.
Ironically, with this painting, I actually did make a mockup. But paintings have minds of their own, and somewhere between the mockup and the canvas, things had wandered off course.
That's when I turned to a simple check-in I've used many times, especially with larger, more involved paintings.
At the end of a painting session, I take a photo. The next day, I print it, tuck it into my sketchbook and ask myself three questions:
1. What do I like about where it is?
2. What don't I like?
3. What's ONE thing I want to try next?
That's it.
I'm not asking myself to figure out the whole painting—or how on earth I'm going to get from where it is now to what I imagine it could become.
Painting Check-in
I'm just looking for the next baby step.
I knew I wanted to keep some of that dreamy atmosphere, bring back the soft pink from my original mockup, and hold onto some of the deeper purple because—although I hadn't planned it—I liked the mystery it brought to the painting.
Light and feminine, yes. But maybe with a little mystery and sensuality, too
And suddenly, I had somewhere to go.
(Below: Making progress towards “lightening it up” the background)
I think that's why I come back to this little practice so often. It doesn't give me all the answers. It just quiets the overwhelm enough to help me see the next step.
And I've realized it works beyond painting, too.
When something feels off—a project, a plan, maybe even a season of life—it's easy to think we need to figure out the whole darn thing.
Maybe we don't.
Maybe we just need to notice what's working, acknowledge what isn't, and choose one small thing to try next.
PS: If you’d like to see how this fox painting changed direction, read Well That Wasn’t Part of the Plan, Or, click here to see the completed painting.