Pet POrtrait Challenge Results
I knew this challenge would push me, but I also knew that I would learn so much from it. I am glad that I encouraged myself and jumped into this challenge. I was not wrong. I was pushed mentally, emotionally, and skillfully. I also learned so much! Short version, I completed 7 paintings in those 10 days. The longer version, keep reading.
The largest hurdle to any challenge is always going to be a mental one. You have to calm down the voice that says this isn’t possible. On day one, I was already thinking, “What have done? I’ll never be able to do this.” I reminded myself that I can do anything for JUST 10 days. As the day was getting later, I was worried I wouldn’t complete it in time. I decided not to worry about that and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I compare the mental work it took to the mental work it took me to train for and complete my 10k back in 2020. It is all very similar.
Day 3 was a little rough for me. I woke up with doubts. No matter how much I tried to calm down that voice, it never really went away. I was also hitting a wall with solving an artistic problem. The results on the canvas were not the results I wanted. I battled the painting until 11:00 p.m. when I conceded. I knew I wasn’t going to meet my goal that day. I’m not going to lie. I was pretty disappointed. I sat with that disappointment for a few minutes before I went to bed to start with fresh eyes the next day. I journaled the next morning as I always do to sort out my thoughts, and I figured it out and completed the painting.
I’m going to be totally transparent here: I had never actually completed a pet portrait in one day. I had only painted one pet portrait. That was of my dog that had recently passed. Going from painting a pet portrait in weeks to painting 10 pet portraits in 10 days was a pretty big stretch. If I’m honest, it wasn’t a realistic goal. Even after I realized that (on day one), I still was going to give it my all. I would not give up. I know what you might be thinking…”but, Karen, you only painted 7 of 10 paintings. Isn’t that kinda the definition of giving up?” I haven’t given up on my goal of completing those 10 paintings. It is just going to happen on a different timeline than I thought. That is the thing about goals. Just because you didn’t hit the deadline that YOU created, doesn’t mean you can’t complete it. It is all in your thoughts. If you keep that black-and-white thinking, you are doomed to fail.
To complete this goal, I knew that most other aspects of my day-to-day life would be put on the back burner. I was okay with that for the short time frame. My house has been neglected. There were a lot of quick-cook meals and fast food. There was not a lot of hanging out with the family… You get the idea. That is not sustainable. I am going back to a more well-rounded schedule. I have 3 more dogs to paint. I’m guessing I will be done in 2 weeks. Dogs 9 and 10 are part of the same portrait. These pup-parents will still receive 50% off of their portraits.
I truly appreciate everyone that supported me by submitting photos and those that kept encouraging me. I have learned so much with every painting. I grew my skills in a way I could not have without everyone’s support. Thank you!
You can check out all of the paintings in my gallery.