This is a really profound statement disguised as simple advice! At each stage of life, each of us is confronted with the question: why persist, strive, and keep trying even as it appears that others arrived first and best? The thing is, all of those "others" faced that question too. What every one of those artists had in common with everyone reading this is that they all loved the process enough to stick with it. There's no certainty where your art will end up, but making art will change how you think, feel, and look at the world, and along the way you'll surprise yourself with what you achieve. That last part is a certainty!

"our brains are kind of lazy"... thats a good point. Painting forces us in meditation, to calm down and feel what we see. Nice video Chris! hope you are doing well and my best regards as always!

I’m so glad to see when you’ve posted a video. You are doing a great job. :)

Thank you for making this video. I am trying to paint, and I often am too harsh on myself on my ability to paint, which then discourages me. I forget that I like painting because I enjoy getting into that moment of flow and enjoy the process of painting. Thank you for saying that this happen to you too. It makes me feel that its ok that I'm not impressed with my end results, because I am still learning and going on this journey. I also get deterred from painting as so many other creators focus on the "express your voice" a lot, and I am at this stage where I have no idea what I want to say myself yet, which makes me feels like I am not an artist. Thanks for other reasons on why to paint - I had forgotten a lot of the reasons why painting is fun and its got me think more on why to create :)

Estou nesta batalha de aprender a pintar, algumas vezes são extremamente frustrantes e difícil de continuar, obrigado pelo vídeo ele veio na hora certa

I've been watching you for awhile. Your very inspiring. Keep up the great work!

Really good video! Thank you for being so generous with your thoughts about painting.

My reasons for painting would be that I love every aspect of life from a bird flying in the air, to a building glowing in the sun to someone sitting on the toilet, to cars driving on the interstate, and that for some reason i see everything as this insane painting on my best days. And for me i have an idealized version of the world from the 90s through 2022 that i want to turn into a whole universe with the reality of life blended in with the ethereal. Plus to express myself. I guess i better get to getting lol.

Thanks for sharing your views on what painting brings to the painter. Here is my take on two of the points mentioned in your video: Flow has this amazing power of letting us disconnect from the world and lose track of time. But it is so intoxicating that it's easy to curl up in our own inner world and seek no contact with other people. The flow state is something difficult to share with others in words. So, as an artist, I think we have do an extra effort to also seek regular interactions with other fellow 'humans'. I agree that painting changes the way we see the world and it's probably its most important power. Everything around us has a potential of beauty: the angle of a shadow, the subtle colors of the reflected light in it, its peculiar angle. This ability to see beauty in everything around us also becomes a philosophy of life and, in a way, a path to happiness. In my opinion, that's why some people chose to become a painter, no matter the struggles ahead, even if this means living a simple life.

Yay! I have been waiting for this. If you don't mind me saying, I think that blue shirt compliments your red hair quite nicely. Oh so, finding joy in the process, you are saying. That makes sense. That is something I have been struggling with for whatever reason lately, even with drawing. I think I will try that, to be my own teacher and just enjoy the little things. My own brain had creative flow, for a moment in time it let my eyes see like a cinematic camera and recorded many many ideas for paintings. i am hoping another moment like that will come, because that kind of feeling is insane. I love love love what you said about how personal painting is. That universe in my head. I think something we tend to do is put a ton of pressure on ourselves because we know we have a unique vision in our heads and we may be the only one to present it to reality. But I think you are offering the way through that to reach that moment where it comes out the way we hoped, through finding joy in the process. I love what you said about the cutting board because some days, truly, the way the light and clouds are working, the entire world can present itself for the beauty it truly is. I love the entire world that i see, plus so many tiny sub categories. so i never know what to express, but i agree, that is why we have to create is because we can let our soul free. Thank you for gifting your soul in this video here I think this will help me and many others. The Very last minutes of this video, you are explaining how i was able to see for 3 years before it went away for me! that is wild! Sorry for such a long response. Again, thank you :)

Be content with the smallest step forward. -Marcus Aurelius

The process or flow, because if you don’t love the process, what you make won’t matter......at least for me. As far as not being Van Gogh or Picasso; Van Gogh never sold a painting while he was alive so you got him beat there.....lol