“I’m just waiting for inspiration.”
It sounds reasonable enough, until you realise it’s really just a polite way of saying, “I’m not ready to start.”
We’ve been sold the idea that creativity begins with a spark. That you have to feel it before you can do it. But in practice, it’s the opposite. The spark doesn’t come first. The work does. And if you keep waiting for that lightning bolt, you’ll be sitting in the dark for a very long time.
Painting isn’t about being struck by some divine force. It’s about friction. About showing up on days when you don’t feel like it. About mixing colours that don’t work, covering over yesterday’s mistakes, and pushing through boredom long enough for something unexpected to happen.
That’s when it starts to flow. When your body knows what your mind’s still doubting.
And once you’re in motion, the inspiration everyone talks about finally appears, quietly pretending it was there all along.
The truth is simple: you don’t paint because you’re inspired. You’re inspired because you paint.
So stop waiting for the perfect idea, the perfect day, or the perfect mood. Pick up the brush. Make a mess. Let the work teach you what it needs.
Because nothing happens while you’re waiting. Everything happens once you start.