Photo credit Stephen Ludwig from Ludwig Film

Every time I paint a mural, I forget that I will make mistakes, and it’s ok.

“It’s ok. It’s ok. Make mistakes. Make mistakes.”

— Angie McMahon lyrics from Letting Go

Angie McMahon belts out these lyrics in her song Letting Go, and this has become my new mantra.

Every creative project I have to take risks. I’m scared I’ll stuff it up. I’m insecure about what the client will think. I make mistakes, adjustments, I scratch my head, forget to eat lunch, and get so in the zone I start painting without my mask on. Those moments of total bliss finally come and time disappears.

I must say, working in this picture perfect office space, made every challenge a little bit more enjoyable. (What a gorgeous backyard!)

In these photos you can see all my mess. All my mistakes. All my adjustments that become hidden and give the impression that they never existed.

I can’t reach the end product without accepting and learning from the mistakes.

For some reason, I forget this every time I start a new project.

Embracing mistakes is all part of the process.

Sending you love and encouragement to MAKE MISTAKES. Do you have the same creative experience as me? Do you make mistakes, become frustrated and forget to embrace them? You’ve got this. It starts with being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Allow the discomfort to help you find a solution.

In this mural I had to redraw the monstera leaf so many times! I kept drawing it with too many sections and then standing back and not being able to work out what I did wrong. Then I took a photo of it and drew over the photo on my phone. Instantly I could see the problem and found a solution.

Thank you to the totally amazing clients who invited me to paint this mural in their backyard. And thank you to Stephen Ludwig from Ludwig Film for taking these incredible photos.

(Shhh… don’t tell anyone, but I’m working on a fun project with Stephen and I can’t wait to show you! These photos will give you a little sneak peek.)