Paint 100 Paintings: The Challenge That Will Change How You Paint
Last week I sent you an email sharing about the letter that changed everything for me.
It was written by Robert Genn, and he was advising a friend who wanted to get better at painting. His advice was simple: paint 100 paintings.
Notice he didn't say 100 masterpieces or 100 finished, framed, gallery-worthy pieces. Just 100 paintings. One after another, keep going, don’t stop.
When I read that, something clicked.
I was so keen to find THE answer. The one tip, the one technique, the one secret that would give me the magic touch. I was searching everywhere for it. What I didn’t realize was that the answer had been in front of me the whole time. You have to put the miles on the brush. Or the famous 10000 hours it takes to become masterful at something. There is no shortcut. There is no secret. There is just painting, a lot, and trusting the process. 😊
So I started painting 100. I logged each and every one of them. I started a little black book where I inventoried all the paintings I did. (Still use that system BTW, counting and logging them). And here’s what I noticed: somewhere in the process of just painting a lot, things started to shift. My colour mixing got easier. My brushwork got more confident. I stopped second-guessing every decision because I knew another painting was coming right after. The pressure just... lifted.
My painting improved. Quality came. But it came through quantity.
So here’s another challenge to you: paint 100 paintings.
Don’t think about whether they’re good. Don’t think about whether you’d hang them on a wall. Just paint. Keep a little stack going. Number them if it helps. And watch what happens.
Now, if you want to turbocharge that challenge, here’s what I’d suggest. Join us inside the Studio Circle where we work through a focused study topic every single month. Painting a lot is powerful. But painting a lot with intention and a clear focus each month? That doubles or triples your chances of getting good. It’s the difference between just putting in the miles and actually training. 🎨
Leave a comment below and let me know where you are in your own journey, I would love to hear.
P.S. Doors to the Studio Circle are closed right now, but if that sounds like exactly what you need, jump on the Priority List here: Click Here