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“I spend an insane amount of time wondering if I’m doing it right. At some point, I just remind myself that I’m doing my best. That is enough.” ~Myleik Teele
Does this sound like you? Perfectionism is an obsession in our society right now. So, what is perfect? One definition of perfect is this – without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings. I tend to see a lot of people approach learning with this attitude – I can’t make any mistakes and allow anyone to see me being less than perfect. Although when I ask whether or not perfection exists, they say no. "I must give my all" isn’t really a bad thing but when having to give your all means being perfect, and there’s no such thing as perfect, it can turn into… I may as well do nothing. At least if I do nothing, I haven’t really failed and I won’t feel embarrassed or humiliated.
So, why this push to be something we can't be?
Because perfection doesn’t exist, it sets us up for failure every time. From that perspective, it certainly makes sense why you’d want to do nothing versus failing every single time. Once in a while you see glimmers of what is perceived as perfection. Those glimmers continue to keep you holding on for hope. If I just do this one thing…I’ll get there, I can be perfect. The problem is, the one thing never leads to perfection… Because there is no perfection.
HOW TO DEAL WITH PERFECTIONISTIC TENDENCIES
So, why this push to be something we can't be?
Because perfection doesn’t exist, it sets us up for failure every time. From that perspective, it certainly makes sense why you’d want to do nothing versus failing every single time. Once in a while you see glimmers of what is perceived as perfection. Those glimmers continue to keep you holding on for hope. If I just do this one thing…I’ll get there, I can be perfect. The problem is, the one thing never leads to perfection… Because there is no perfection.
HOW TO DEAL WITH PERFECTIONISTIC TENDENCIES
- Learn to embrace mistakes – know that mistakes will help you grow.
- Feel good about a win – winning feels good and should be celebrated, but having a win doesn't mean every practice will be a step forward. Celebrate then refocus so you are present for the next challenge.
- Find 1-2 things that you did in a practice that are positive – Beginning to point out the positive things will help motivate you and give you confidence.
MISTAKES HAPPEN. MISTAKES ARE HEALTHY.
There really is no such thing as perfect but there’s something better than that! What is it? Realizing there’s no such thing. Learning to be ok with doing your best (whatever that is at any given moment) and allowing yourself to be human. Just do your best. Be your best. That means what you have the ability to be.
Being present in the process will allow you to do what you want to do. Mistakes will still happen but they are so incredibly important for growth. Here’s my challenge to you – instead of trying to be perfect, try to find another way to appreciate the positive things and deal with mistakes in a healthier way. I'll leave you to think about this quote: "If I am not failing regularly, I am living so far below my potential that I am failing anyway".
My honey pot colouring here is from our Mini Colouring Class Bundle 6 which you can find in the store here! It includes instructions for both markers and pencils - love to have you join in and thank you for reading this week's art therapy post! :)
Hi everyone! Have you been checking in each week for our follower freebie? It's free for absolutely everyone and a new one goes up each Saturday. Be quick! If you miss it, you can't go back to claim. You can find them anytime via the banner on the homepage of the website, or the EVENTS tab in our Facebook community. Grab it now!
Plus our next Vintage Class Re-release is here! Grab 40% off our Tropic Paradise 2019 classes here: markers and pencils GREAT for beginners as I break down all of the very basics + you'll receive lifetime access to do them at your own pace!
Techniques covered include: tropical flowers and leaves, birds, feathers, creating depth in white and yellow animals, rainbow effects, orchids, hibiscus, and more! Plus FREE images included!
If you are new to Kit and Clowder, every month I re-release a retired "Vintage Class" for sale from our 2015-early 2020 vault so you can learn some of the past techniques we've already tackled. Be quick - these classes will only be available for sale until March 31.
Happy colouring everyone and make sure you share your work with us over in our Facebook community! :)
I have a special surprise for you all 
To celebrate our final day of our Advent Calendar of Giveaways, I have created a free colouring class for absolutely everyone! With so much going on in the world right now I think we could probably all use a break for some self-care 
If you've been nervous to try a class, this is a great starting place for all levels - even total beginners. This class has separate instructions for markers and pencils, and comes with lifetime access to do at your own pace This is not a quick how-to tutorial but a proper educational lesson with real art fundamentals to help you level up your colouring skills no matter how much experience you have. I hope you will schedule just 10 minutes to jump in this week - put your mental health first, recharge, and destress as you focus on the challenge and joys that learning something new can bring
To celebrate our final day of our Advent Calendar of Giveaways, I have created a free colouring class for absolutely everyone! With so much going on in the world right now I think we could probably all use a break for some self-care If you've been nervous to try a class, this is a great starting place for all levels - even total beginners. This class has separate instructions for markers and pencils, and comes with lifetime access to do at your own pace
This is not a quick how-to tutorial but a proper educational lesson with real art fundamentals to help you level up your colouring skills no matter how much experience you have. I hope you will schedule just 10 minutes to jump in this week - put your mental health first, recharge, and destress as you focus on the challenge and joys that learning something new can bring TO CLAIM YOUR FREE CLASS:
Please leave me a little comment below to help this post get seen 
Just head to www.kitandclowder.com
Click CLASS ROOMS in the menu bar
Select the Free Spring Moments Class and click Join. Enjoy!
*This class has taken over 60 hours to create - if you love it, I'd so appreciate any help to share this post/tag your friends/mention it if you see someone wanting to level up their colouring Thank you for helping to keep our community alive during this difficult time
Thank you for helping to keep our community alive during this difficult time
There's only a few days left to grab our Stellar Spirits Beginners Colouring Classes - our Jan-Feb monthly colouring projects - (markers left, pencils right) over at https://www.kitandclowder.com!
What we're learning this month: We'll be breaking down the absolute basics of these techniques: in-depth, realistic skin contouring to use on any image, eyes, in-depth hair texture and contouring, black hair, rainbow effects, iridescent effects, gemstones, galaxy backgrounds, night backgrounds, stars and swirl effects, sequins and glitter, metal, smoke, and more!
Once you purchase a class, you get lifetime access to it to work at your own pace, no lock in contracts to join in, + free private tutoring! For sale only until Feb 14 so jump in now and let's help you feel more confident with your colouring!
Take a peek of the upclose projects below!
Frustrated with learning? You aren't alone! Many people report that frustration is a key emotion when learning new skills.
Frustration comes when our ego is not meeting an idealised goal or expectation. Before we embark on a task, we often set ourselves goals of what we want to achieve, but it is very common to misplace our overall expectations with today's expectations.
Just because we want to master a skill like colouring as an overarching goal, it doesn't mean it should be your goal every time you sit down to colour. So it's important to think about those expectations you are placing on yourself, and think about whether they are realistic and achievable for today's activities. Do the pressures help us perform better or do they make us anxious to take on challenges in case we make mistakes? You get to be in control of the expectations you place on yourself.
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Remember, learning is not a race or a competition. It is not realistic to expect perfection, to be creating the same as others when we don't know how much experience they've had, or to instantly master new skills. Make sure your goals and expectations are realistic and not self-sabotaging. If you are overwhelmed, make your goal just a 10 minute start, or adding colour to a tiny part of an image rather than needing to sit and complete an entire project at once. Or approach a piece as a practice so you can scribble on the paper, take notes, and experiment without any intention of a usable finished project. Or make your goal to learn just one new thing with your next practice, and take note of what you take away so the focus is on the lesson and not on whether your results are good or bad.
Just as much as you are in control of placing the pressures, you are in control of taking them away and making them manageable. Your success comes from your ability to see mistakes for what they are - lessons. To see challenges for what they are - growth. You don't have to be great to start hobbies, but you do have to actually start them, practice them, and enjoy them to eventually be great. Remember, your hobbies are your time for self-care, to step back from some of the stress in our lives, so make sure not to inject stress in an activity which is meant to be your time for you
**My dragon colouring is from our Mini Colouring Class Bundle 3.0 at http://bit.ly/2pDhoRW
Hi everyone! I'm popping in today to share our next Colouring Tips video and this week it's all about making Copic blends and understanding how the official Copic numbering system works! Even if you've been colouring awhile, there's a lot of tips and tricks here for selecting colours for your projects
There's a lot of conflicting information around on how to make blends, but I often have people come to our classes frustrated because what they've been taught isn't allowing them to get the same depth in their colouring that our students are outputting. A lot of that comes down to understanding how lightsource works to give your objects dimension, and how we choose colours to best represent lightsource within our blends. So let's break down a good foundational way to create blends in all of your projects!
If the embedded video doesn't work for you, you can find the full video on youtube here: https://youtu.be/ag75OWxLr8E
For more information on colour blend theory, premade blend charts, blank charts to fill in, and more, please visit the Blend Charts page on our website at https://www.kitandclowder.com. You'll also find more helpful colouring questions answered under our Colouring FAQs page!
I hope you've found this video helpful, and if you have any requests for future Colouring Tip videos, please get in touch!
Hi everyone! I'm popping in here to share our first video in our new Colouring Tip series! I've had a few people ask how I get my smooth and rich pencil blending without any solvents, so in this video we are working on how to do that basic blend. This is the blending technique I use in all of my colouring for the most vibrancy and control. Th is technique can be used with any brand of pencils, but the blendability and vibrancy will depend upon the quality of the brand.
If the link below doesn't work for you, please view the direct link on youtube here: https://youtu.be/JbXDhdeHNU8
Pencils: I've used Prismacolor Premiere pencils in this video, but you can use any brand at all
Blend: White, Pink, Process Red, Pomegranate
Blend Alternatives: (Polychromos: 129, 123, 142 Spectrum Noir: 031 Fuchsia, 032 Cranberry, 033 Raspberry (this is also this week's colour focus blend!)
Paper: Mi Teintes by Canson (reverse side for softer tooth - not the side that looks like small circles).
For more information on recommended papers, pencil brands, and colour blend charts, please visit the Colouring FAQs page at https://www.kitandclowder.com. Colour Focus posts as referenced in the video will be found under the Colour Focus tab, and you can find colouring classes under the Shop tab (freebies on the homepage)!
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I hope you've found this video helpful, and if you have any requests for future Colouring Tip videos, please get in touch!
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