Self-Development Through Art

SAM GUAY creates a poem-inspired painting and tells us why self-evaluation is an important part of her process with personal projects

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Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate enough to spend my time focusing on my personal work – whether it be my tarot project, gallery art, or things that are just for fun. With each piece I create, I set goals for myself, experiment, and evaluate my piece when I’m done. Though these things aren’t obvious when you look at my final paintings I consider them just as important to my process as the technical part.

Setting goals for my work, such as drawing a challenging subject or working with unusual colours, gives me a gauge for the success of my piece. By evaluating my own work I can document my growth, think critically about my choices, and maintain a healthier relationship with my work. If I’m happy with a piece I can identify why that is – I don’t need to rely on social media for any validation. Often I’ll feel frustrated with a piece, so instead of dismissing it and considering myself a failure, writing about my art gives me a better perspective and forces me to answer why it’s not working and what I can do to create paintings I’m happier with. Plus, if I do consider my piece unsuccessful, at least I’ve learned from the experience and can plot the next steps forward.