Some days being creative is easy.

My head is full of images and I can hardly wait to get them down on the paper.

It's almost magical the way the paint moves across the paper with minimal encouragement.

And when I leave it alone to dry overnight I am astonished at the small details and nuances that appeared on the page.

Other times I struggle to find an image or inspiration.

On some occasions I know what I want to paint.

I prepare the surface as I have many times before.

I wet the paint and select my paintbrush.

Then when I apply the paint to the surface they seem to resist each other.

The brush seems to have a mind of its own.

I begin to get frustrated.

That happened this week.

I have been without inspiration and energy.

I had no idea what to paint and struggled to force myself into my studio.

Finally on Monday I had an image in my mind, I had my surface prepared and I couldn't wait to get started.

But the surface didn't want the paint.

While I let it rest I started another painting on Yupo.

My brushes behaved inconsistently.

The shapes I achieved with one color of paint were clumsy and smeared with another.

As frustration built, I reminded myself that the day was warm and dry.

That I could always wipe off the paint and start over if I wanted to.

I remembered that different colors have always behaved uniquely.

And that sometimes happy accidents reveal themselves in time.

When I went back to my first painting I reminded myself that since I was painting on wood it may require many washes to achieve the image I want.

I remembered that some of the uniqueness to painting on wood occurs because of the resistance of the grain to absorb the paint uniformly.

That only time will reveal the image as it was meant to be.

Instead of fighting with the paint, I reminded myself to work with it and allow it to move as it wants to.

That I need to give it time to fully dry between sessions.

And that since I've been away from my studio for weeks now, I need to be gentle with myself and the tools I'm working with.

Time, grace, and patience are amazing tools for getting through all sorts of bumps and shadows in life.

I would love my life to be a smooth sunny drive in the countryside.

Where new blessing waited for me around every curve.

What I know is that no one has a life like that.

We all have challenging times that strengthen us, heal us, and hopefully give us more compassion for others.

So when those times meet up with my creative work I can make some choices.

I can choose to step back and wait.

I can choose to try a new technique.

I can take one step forward at a time, open my mind to learning something new, and allow time for the surface and paint to work together creating a unique piece.

I try to remember there are two sides to every paper.

That many surfaces can be wiped clean.

And that I don't have to keep anything I'm not happy with.

Just getting back in the studio is an accomplishment.

Remembering to let go of frustration is icing on the cake.

Painting always gives me life lessons.

And I'm grateful for the opportunity to get something meaningful out of every day.