Doubting Artist #6

Two nights ago I was painting and DID NOT have a satisfying/successful (by my very subjective standards) painting session. I had been wrangling with a canvas for days, and though sometimes it got "better", I always managed to keep on going and make it worse. I was scheduled to teach a painting class the next day. I went to bed, thinking that the last thing I should do was try to teach someone else how to paint. The next day I woke up with a big idea for the class. We would talk about 'what to do when a painting is NOT working'. It was a very 'successful' session. As I reviewed approaches and methodology for resolving problems, my own tangled 'brain palette' got straightened out. I regained a modicum of confidence and felt a sense of possibility as I re-approached my own work. I was reminded again that the most effective teaching in my own life has been the "sharing the journey" sort...not the long-winded expert sort.