Heartsong Studio

Do mistakes haunt you ?  Do they creep into your work when you
least expect them ?  And then, what can you do if they spoil the
whole thing ?

If you sometimes tear out your hair when you’ve made a mistake,
this article “Out, Out, Damned Spot !” by Celeste Varley might give
you hope.

It’s not so bad if a mistake happens near the beginning of a piece
of art.  If you notice the colour of a certain passage is a bit
“off”, instead of going ahead on another area while you think it
over, just stop.  Don’t work on anything else. 

Until you fix the “off” passage, it will influence everything else
you do.  Even when it’s nowhere near what you’re working on. 
Everything you do after the “wrong” passage, will be also off
balance with the whole.

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What is a mistake actually ?  Is it an accident, a chance
happening, an error in judgment, or an unfortunate coincidence ?
======================================================= 
Mistakes are only mistakes by your consent, and by your definition.

Mistakes are like dirt.  Do you know this definition of dirt —  
Dirt is misplaced matter — hair on butter ;  butter on hair.

Did you ever consider a ‘mistake’ may be trying to tell you
something ?  Turn round your work and upside down.  View its mirror
image.  See what might be hiding there in your  ‘mistake’,  wanting
to find you.

Like Amerigo Vespugi, you may have been looking for the Orient and
bumped into America by mistake.  So give this new world a chance
before making it walk the plank. 

Seriously, consider the possibility that ‘your’ mistake could be
trying to tell you something you might not know.  Do you make a
mistake, or does a mistake seek you out ?  It’s a corollary to the
“no such thing as coincidence” theory. 

The theory goes like this:  There are some disowned or orphaned
images that are floating around in universal creative energy.  They
want to be found like the American continent wanted to be “found”.  

Maybe the one that finds you does so because there’s some new
possibility you need to see. 
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One little ‘mistake’ could hold many possibilities.
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“Out, out, damned spot !” cried Lady Macbeth who was haunted by
blood on her hands after taunting her husband to commit murder.
Mistakes can sometimes haunt you with messages that you are unable
to hear at first.

Besides  showing you that what you did wasn’t ‘right’, and do
not try this again, it could be showing you a whole continent of
unexplored pathways.
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“Mistakes” are not always bad news though.
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Before you cut off its head, and cover up, or correct your mistake,
take care to see the hidden gifts that may possibly be there.
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Okay, so sometimes a mistake is . . . well, just a blooper.
Occasionally, a whole piece of artwork will seem like one great big
mistake.  It simply doesn’t work. 

Again, do not gesso it over too soon.  If you want to go on with
another project, would it hurt to let this one rest awhile, hidden
from view ?

One day, maybe years later, you could be pleasantly surprised at
this gem.  You can always gesso it out if it’s on canvas, and start
again.  With a thin coat of gesso, you could see an intriguing form
showing through, like looking at cloud formations.  If you see
something new there, nab it.

If it’s a watercolour on paper, you can always cut it up and start
again, recycling it in a collage.  Nothing is ever really lost.
Mistakes can be blessings in disguise.

When Dr. Alexander Fleming, bacteriologist working in 1928,
accidentally had a  dish growing bacterial culture contaminated by
a culture of fungus, his “mistake” turned into the discovery of
penicillin.  This was the single most influential discovery in the
history of medicine for combating infection.

Sometimes you can make a mistake on purpose.  This is one way to
disarm the fear of a blank white canvas or paper.  Then, like
reading your own palm or tea leaves, let your dream eyes turn it
into a talisman. 

True mistakes take you by surprise, though, so is it cheating to
make one on purpose ?  I won’t tell, if you don’t.

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Argue for your limitations, and they are yours.
============================================== 
If you insist on working on your weaknesses, guess what — they’ll
grow.  See your limitations from a different perspective, and who
knows what treasure could be yours.  Become intimate with an
aberrant image and you too are freed.

You know what you do well.  There are better odds in working with
your strengths, and at the same time, welcoming unexpected
“mistakes” as pointing out new ways to explore.  That’s learning
from your mistakes.

Experience is a great teacher.
Maybe the only one.
So, if you’re going to crayon on the walls, do it behind the sofa.

Did you spot any errors in this article ?
I’d welcome and value any corrections, typos, or omissions
on my website as well.
Now that I mention it, I’d welcome any feedback about anything ! 

Celeste Varley
“Oh! for a horse with wings” -Shakespeare
Let our hearts sing and take flight!