Be Better Than Yourself

AA wrote: Alors fais-toi plaisir et lance-toi dans l'aquarelle ma chère Sabina!!

BB wrote: I can't wait to see the drawings! I already know it will have your beauty.

CC wrote: Underbart Sabina! Gör det, så trist att vi nästan alla hålls tillbaka av höga krav.

Be Better Than Yourself

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.
William Faulkner

We all have things we’d like to be able to do, don’t we? I’d love having wings and fly up above the mountains and being able to make lovely water colour paintings. Obviously I have to content myself with flying in my dreams, but painting is not completely out of reach.

In fact I have a certain aptitude for drawing; art was my favourite subject at school. Alas, my inner critic, who is exceptionally strong, even prevents me from trying. I’m still afraid of not being satisfied with the result - at my age! I should have learned to ignore that silly voice and continue just do what I enjoy so much: playing with colours. 

That’s where the above quote comes in. I need to stop comparing what I do with beautiful things I’ve seen or ideals I have. My “masterpieces” will never meet those standards, and why should they?  If I just have to have a go at it I am sure that with practice some nice little paintings will see the daylight.

So thank you, William, for your piece of advice. I will take out my crayons and colours and start drawing again. With time I will surely become be better than myself :-)