I was talking to a friend a week or so ago and they expressed interest into getting into painting but they were afraid of being bad. I told them that they can’t get good if they don’t try.

If you want to do something then Do the Thing. You can’t learn if you don’t try and most people are not great when they first start. Starting is the biggest hurdle, usually. Being afraid of criticism and being afraid of failing are also a big hurdles when faced with a new hobby.

Starting any hobby can be expensive or have time consuming set up. These things are not insurmountable. You don’t have to go out and buy a whole set of paints or an airbrush when you are first starting. Invest in a few paints that are colors you like. Try to get good with a paint brush before you drop a ton of money on an airbrush if you aren’t sure you will use it or have the space and ventilation. If you are very worried about startup costs see if there is someone in your area giving away or selling gently used supplies.

When you are first starting out set up can seem like a big task too. All you need are a few supplies and a, preferably protected, surface to work on. Linked is a post I wrote a long while ago about what you absolutely need to get started. Depending on how much stuff you want to use (or think you need to use) set up can take less than 5 minutes up to however long you want to make it perfect for you. Once you are set up you are ready to go. Now you just need to sit down and Do the Thing.

If failure is your hurdle you’re not going to like what I’m about to say. Failure is part of the process. Without failure you may never learn from the mistakes that will make you better in the future. Failure is not being worse than someone else. It’s best not to compare yourself to others but only to yourself. You can see yourself grow and recognize where these failures have happened causing you to learn more than if you hadn’t failed.

Being afraid of criticism is totally understandable. Even after having been painting for almost 10 years I don’t always like criticism, especially, if it is unsolicited. Some people will genuinely try to help you learn something that you could add or do differently. You never have to follow this if you don’t want to. Some will just come out of nowhere and tell you that you need to do something to be doing it “right”. There is no wrong way to hobby as long as you are having fun.

Some other people are just down right mean and not trying to help in any way at all. It’s best to not take this to heart and to just block and move on with your day. I am still learning this after all this time. I still get frustrated with the mean people and I still get frustrated at unsolicited advice. These things, however, are a small part of the hobby. I am mostly met with constructive criticism and encouragement.

So, if this hobby is something you really want to try out then just Do the Thing. The hurdles, while there, are relatively small.

These small things can seem impossible to defeat but it is possible. So just go Do the Thing if it is something you are really interested in. Whether it be the mini painting hobby or other hobbies just do it.

Do the Thing.

Happy Painting,
~S

You’ve read all the way to the end! Below are my very first minis and one a few years old. I am putting them here to remind myself that if I hadn’t Done the Thing then I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.