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Does it really take 10,000 hours of doing something before you get proficient at it? In his book “Outliers: The Story of Success,” Malcolm Gladwell speaks of the fact that it requires enormous time to achieve greatness. He calls it “The 10,000 Hour Rule.” Of course, if I had been painting at least 40 hours a week for five years, I would have achieved this milestone already. But art is not just the physical activity of doing it. It’s also reading, studying other works, going to museums, and periods of time when inspiration is lost. Life also gets in the way. My father passed away eight years ago, and I spent time caring for my mother.

As I look back on the last ten years of study and practice in fine art oil painting, I smile at some of the paintings I did that I thought were “not too bad.” I now see that the work I produced was a stepping stone to continued growth as an artist. And rightly so. Art is constantly evolving, so why shouldn’t mine do the same? If you own an early “Kathleen Eaton Original,” thank you! I’m grateful for the support of my family, friends, and collectors who have helped me grow as an artist.

So what’s different about my working process?

It can take me hours just to “rough in” a sketch before starting the actual painting. If the drawing isn’t right, the entire work will be a struggle. I look for areas that need to be addressed. A problem can be staring me in the face, and yet I still won’t see it. Sometimes setting it aside for a few days helps me to see it with fresh eyes.

When I’m painting, I literally bare my soul to the canvas. It’s truly an emotional experience. I cry, laugh, and talk to my work. I paint, and re-paint, and sometimes scrape the painting down to the canvas and start over. I know I’m not alone in doing this. Artist friends share their struggles. I must do what it takes to get the painting “right.”

It’s not always an uphill battle. Sometimes the paint flows and time passes as though it doesn’t exist. It’s in those moments that I know I have found my calling.

Do I stay or do I go?

I am now at a crossroads. When I began seriously studying with exceptional teachers I gave myself ten years to learn my craft. I told myself then that if I wasn’t paying the bills after ten years, I would still be young enough to give it up and return to the corporate world. A funny thing happened during the process… I realize now that I can’t give it up! Leaning on a strong faith, I must use the gifts I’ve been given. And I say this with all due respect to artists everywhere… Most of the creative people I know say they are no more gifted than anyone else. But we have chosen to follow our calling in life, and work hard to achieve a level of proficiency that others may not have pursued. I look forward to painting long into my lifetime.

In my next post, find out how you can win a FREE PAINTING!