A metaphor
Building up a painting is a little like a metaphor for self-improvement. At first, the task seems immense. The blank canvas, the doubts. Then an image of the desired outcome emerges. It often feels like it would never work. This act of accumulating layers on a canvas, the marks getting smaller, more precise, until something begins to appear. Somewhere near the start of the process of painting, the doubts are at their most intense. There comes a point where you want to leave it, whether it is the painting or the actual emotional act of creating. It often is an act of faith, a thing that most creative people do, without really knowing whether their wishes would yield anything at all. Then, somewhere, maybe a day into a painting, something calls out faintly:' Maybe…yes, maybe this will work out'. The fog of self-doubt lifts just enough and the colours begin to dance, becoming brighter. Maybe you will improve, become a better person. Time is running out. An old hand still has t...