There's a theory that it's good to feel as though you don't know what you're doing when you're making art. In fact, the great Bob Dylan said something along these lines himself...

An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he's at somewhere. You always have to realize that you're constantly in a state of becoming. And, as long as you can stay in that realm you'll sort of be alright. (Bob Dylan)

I believe this rings true when creating art in any medium, be it fine art or digital. You must set yourself regular goals to stay challenged and keep learning. You should be prepared to let your practice get ugly before it blossoms.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the #100daysprojectscotland challenge this summer. I'm yet to process all my work and reflections... but I can tell you that I have definitely made personal progress.

For all the 100 pieces that I was happy enough to share, there were many more that I had to discard or get frustrated with. As soon as I was happy with one piece, straight away, it was on to the next!

I guess you could say I practised a summer of never really allowing myself to reach a point of comfort. Instead, I opted for discovery, curiosity and personal practice. As Dylan suggests, it felt like being in a constant state of 'becoming'.

For October, I've set myself the challenge of practising my watercolour painting without using preliminary sketches. It's tough but rewarding! My general theme is winter/wildlife and interesting faces.

I'm also working on my Autumn collection of studies and paintings that will be available to purchase along with limited edition prints (hopefully) at the end of the month.

I've also been able to add two more Introduction to Watercolour workshops at Gullane Village Hall in October and November:

October 30th https://bit.ly/3moyVa1

November 13th https://bit.ly/3uHcnVH

The classes are small and accessible to anyone who wishes to come along and paint. No experience necessary - I promise ;)

So, I hope you'll feel inspired to keep practising your art and writing as we head into autumn. Here's to us all continually learning and growing as artists.