The 24 emotions of making a painting

STUCK

when I can’t come up with something to paint

EXCITED

When all of a sudden an idea comes to me

CONTEMPLATIVE 

When I try to think of how the hell am I going to translate that into a painting

THRILLED

When I finally figure out a way to do it

APPREHENSIVE

Right before I start and wonder if I can actually pull this one off

BLOCKED

When I stare at the white canvas and get completely overwhelmed and wonder if I should just take a nap

SADDENED

When my brush touches the surface and I feel like I just ruined a perfectly good canvas, therefore I’m no good and should never paint again.

DEFIANT

When I think “what the hell. it’s already ruined, so I might as well finish it up”

CURIOUS

When the messed up piece starts to look like it’s not completely ruined after all

EXHILARATED

When it actually seems to be working

GUILTY

When I look at it and see that it turned into shit again (A.K.A. the “this is shit phase”)

ASHAMED

When I look at it and think, crap I did this (A.K.A. the “I’m shit phase”)

HOPELESS

When I decide that cleaning the garage is really more important than dedicating time to a painting that its clearly not working.

PUZZLED

When I come back to it and see that taking a break from it actually made it better (that, or there are some tricky oompa loompas hiding in my studio somewhere)

IN FLOW

When I look at the clock and wonder how could the last 10 hours have passed so fast.

HUNGRY

When I realized I haven’t eaten in the last 10 hours

EXHAUSTED

When I realize I should have gone to bed a long time ago

PLEASED 

When I look at the painting again in the morning

AFRAID

When I think that NOW I’m really going to screw this one up

DISAPOINTED 

When I realized that I did screwed this up for good and decide I didn’t clean the garage as well as I should have.

INTRIGUED

When (after cleaning the garage) I look at it again and think that it’s actually not that bad.

CONFUSED

Maybe I do have some oompa loompas hiding in my studio. Or maybe that cleaning the garage is the key to making a painting work…

CONTENTED

When I look at it after a week went by and I don’t feel like trashing it anymore.

HAPPY

When someone else looks at it and it moves them. When I feel connected with another human being, even though no words were exchanged

The 24 emotions of making a painting