I wish I could treat my life like creating a painting.

I've learned how to take many unsuccessful and ruined paintings and turn them into good ones.

I've learned to become open to experimentation and new ideas when I'm in my studio.

But in my life I tend to think logically and more in black and white.

Life is full of facts.

I have a finite amount of money to live on.

I understand the science of good health and treatment options available when disease comes in to play.

I know all living things need food and water.

I know relationships wither without attention.

But when I enter my studio I become the creator.

I can open myself to new inspiration, I can play with the many supplies I have, and I can allow myself to see beyond what is currently on the page.

Take this painting, for instance.

I started this painting while I was working in the gallery one day.

I was doing a series of sunsets, and wanted this one to be peaceful.

I painted the first wash on the sky and water, leaving room for the mountains.

I let them dry, and loving the pastel tones, I painted the mountains in a wash of sage green.

It didn't work.

The mountains needed to be dark, and probably purple.

There is really no way to turn green into purple.

This painting that started out in beautiful pastels was ruined.

I set it aside.

I loved the sky so much and hated to trow it out.

Then I thought about one of my artists friends who does amazing mixed media art.

She is always talking about applying scraps of paper on top of mistakes and turning them into masterpieces.

I love texture.

I could picture scrunching up tissue paper and applying it to the mountains.

Then I could paint on top of it.

I got out some white tissue paper and wadded it up multiple times.

I cut it to the approximate size knowing I could cut it more closely once it was dried.

Then I carefully applied acrylic matte medium to the mountains and scrunched the tissue paper on top of them.

Then I noticed some of the matte medium got onto the surface of the water.

I gently removed it with wet paper towel.

After the mountains dried I cleaned up the edges with a craft knife and applied a layer of brown watercolor paint.

The next day I came back and used a burnt orange paint where the mountains meet the sky and used a darker brown along the water line.

But then I noticed that the two areas of matte medium still showed.

I needed to add shadows for the mountains anyway and hoped that would take care of them.

After 3 washes of various colors the white areas remained.

It was ruined!

Such a pretty and peaceful painting.

What could I do?

I could add some waves close to the shoreline and take care of one of the white streaks.

I did that and was satisfied, but there was a large white blotch almost in the middle of the water that looked terrible.

I left the painting for two days.

And then I received an image of a bird on a pile of rocks.

I looked at the painting again and noticed the white area was the shape of a bird's body.

I chose paint that matched the mountains and added a small pile of rocks.

I added a neck and head to the bird in white paint.

After that dried I made legs, an eye, and beak.

Then I notice that the orange brown paint had migrated into the sky between the mountains.

I left it for added interest in the sunset and was very happy with the result of this failed painting.

I really need to apply the patience, openness, and creativity I learned from this painting to my life.

I can't give up and throw out my life when I find a mistake.

I can't turn the page over and start again.

But I can step back and let my mind work out a new solution.

Maybe I just need to look at the situation differently?

Maybe there is beauty hidden somewhere if I just take the time to let it reveal itself.

I love talking to people about my abstracts.

They often see them differently than I do.

The find hidden shapes and interesting stories hidden in them.

Isn't that what life is?

My life is my own story with hidden lessons and gifts that are waiting to be discovered.

I often refer to my abstract as my "crazy" art.

Life can certainly be crazy.

It takes patience and wisdom to find the gifts sometimes, but it's worth it, right?

I'm going to work at bringing my studio brain into my every day life.

I hope you choose to practice living creatively, too.