This blog post was something I started in a writing course that I attended in 2024, called the Art of Authentic Blogging. If you'd like to see my thoughts of the course, you can do that here. What follows is a slightly more polished version of the blog post that I wrote during the training.
Recently, I had an epic dream where I lived and worked in the distant future. I saw mind-blowing things that were considered modern to the people of that time. I met individuals who couldn’t believe I had lived in an era where people died of old age.
224. 10000 years in the future 10
The 1000 Paintings Project
Embarking on a journey with my 1000 paintings project, I have been learning to paint anything. Although I’m only around 200 paintings in, the practice has led me on a path of growth. Before I started with the 1000 paintings, I was not comfortable painting much more than people. Now, 200 paintings later, I feel confident enough to experiment.
Overcoming the Fear of the Unknown
Before this project, it would have never occurred to me to even attempt to paint something I saw in a dream. I was past the beginner stage where I was hesitant to use photo references when drawing. If I wasn’t using a reference, I would only be comfortable drawing something I was already incredibly familiar with.
Moving along the learning curve
In these paintings, I have learned to draw much more, to paint and create much more than the handful of poses of humans I was already familiar with. But how did I go from there to being able to paint what I saw in my dreams?
 1. Elf girl |  162. A vivid dream |
First, a lot of exploring and finding my way, though I had a foundational direction or approach.
Speed - iterate and learn quickly
For most of my paintings, I gave myself a time limit of 45 minutes to 1 hour. This way I could focus on improving my familiarity with the art fundamentals and spend less time on "polishing turds".
I learned this idea from a few professional artists who shared their experiences on YouTube. The idea was that the art fundamentals were the core of what makes an artwork good. They were the structure on top of which we would add the great details. Essentially, refining details to make the art piece look better was the icing on the cake.
In the past, I was guilty of spending too much time on the icing and not enough on making a good cake overall. When I heard someone say that focusing on those little details was effectively polishing a turd, it made me realise why I was not happy with many of the paintings I had made in the past, despite having spent many hours trying to add and refine as much detail as I could to the piece.
The Evolution of My Art
I also started the 100 paintings with something I was familiar with, something I was comfortable with. Slowly, I branched out from there. I reminded myself constantly, “I’m not aiming for good, I’m aiming for clear.” By the end, maybe in the last 100 paintings, I hope to make good paintings. Until then, I’m just learning and expect each painting to be rubbish, and I don’t care about that. What I care about is the message or story I am trying to tell with my painting.
The Future of My Art
More recently, I have started to achieve that goal. While my paintings aren’t anywhere near as good as the romantic picture of them in my head, I’m starting to capture the feeling I get when I close my eyes and imagine the image that I want to paint. To me, this was a sign I might be ready to paint the things I see in my dreams. A sign I am ready to let go of the safety of relying too much on references. Here is what I saw in my dream where I lived in that distant future…
10000 years in the future:
215 - 225. 10000 years in the future
The journey of 1000 miles...
This journey of a thousand paintings has been a transformative one. It has not only improved my technical art-making skills but also broadened my horizons and made me more confident as an artist. As I continue on this path towards telling my many science fiction and fantasy stories, I look forward to seeing where it takes me. Whether it’s painting the vivid images from my dreams or exploring new styles and techniques, I’m excited for what the future holds. After all, the journey of a thousand paintings begins with a single brush stroke.
226. Beyond the sky
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