I give up

My paintings come from a desire to:

• • express a playfully rebellious, inner drive

  • get lost in the timelessness and agelessness of the creative process,

  • but more to the point, a desire to give up.

I give-up on trying to be perfect.

I give up on trying to emulate the approach of others, on doing anything with precision, or with making art the way some people think it's “supposed to be done.” I draw fast, with my eyes closed, using my non-dominant hand, recklessly without care for how others so it.

Letting go of perfectionism is freeing and freedom begets more creativity.

Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity. It stimulates.
The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive. ~Author, Jhumpa Lahiri

This act of giving-up has a rebellious nature to it that releases deep seated resentment about a time I tried to carefully conform by being one way, when clearly I was another way. It's also a necessity if I am to enjoy art.

In art and writing, we are the masters of our world - that's part of the pull and the power. We may feel small or out of control in parts of our life, but in creativity, we are directors, inventors, choreographers, actors, editors, conductors, fable-makers, essayists, mess-makers, and artists.

But to enjoy our ability to create, we need to let go of control, proceed without caution, and embrace what our creativity wants to be according to who we am. And of course, practice which also doesn’t need to be perfect.

In my opinion, imperfect results have more character, energy, and uniqueness. There is story and mystery that's not there with perfectly rendered work. Our work doesn't look like everyone else's and it definitely doesn't look like AI.

And if we stay consistent with our imperfections, we develop a style that reflects our liberated spirit and people are drawn to it because they want to be liberated too. But we have to be willing to tolerate not being perfect, which is good practice since... spoiler alert: we ain't perfect and neither is life.

I'm impulsive, impatient, and have a short attention span, thus, I don't have the right set of skills for perfectionism anyway. I have been assigned the neurodevelopmental challenge of ADHD. So in giving up perfectionism, my style of teaching "Wild Abandon" creativity emerged. It's reckless, freeing, loose and results, many times, in immediate gratification (without gaining weight).

 

The occasional accidental masterpiece surprises me, but I assure you, I tolerate many duds.

 

My favorite part of teaching Wild Abandon is seeing the faces of students who start out doubtful, petrified, or overly critical of their work, and then discover their own version of art and easy masterpieces with these techniques that seem a little crazy.

 

So it's your turn to give up and see how, paradoxically, it moves you more toward where you want to go.

 

 

Classes and Workshops listed below are for intimidated beginners to or anyone wanting a fresh approach to both art and writing. Also I'll be live on Zoom, sharing the lecture I've taken on the road that emphasizes how Creativity is a Solution for Reality. 

 

Giving up perfectionism but never stopping the craft,

 

Jill, A Demotivational Speaker 

 www.themuseisn.com

 

Upcoming:

April  23, 2025 11am -12:30pm pacific/ 2pm eastern
Creativity as Solution for the Heaviness of Reality on ZOOM 
A lecture including performance poetry, story, humor, how creative greats used art and writing to cope, and creative ways to deal with all that's going on. $25 Includes free downloadable PDF of Badonsky art and a mantra for resilience.

 

April 29, 2025 10am pacific/ 1pm eastern

Painting Chickens Imperfectly Zoom Workshop
Especially for Intimidated Beginners  $25
Free downloadable Membership Card to the Joy Cluck Lub with Badonsky Art and Handout about making art easy.
More information here or sign-up now

 

September 28 - October 2, 2025
Wild Abandon Creativity
Omega Institute of Holistic Science, Rhinebeck New York

More here

A short video of what you get when you attend. 

 

Begins again in August 2026
Kaizen-Muse Creativity Certification Coaching Training

This training rides on permission to be human and to not be perfect. Fan those creativity embers for yourself and/or others. Creativity is joy.

Intuition, imagination, creative psychology, playfulness, mindfulness is what this training is about.

Anyone passionate about creativity with good people skills is welcome to join the journey.

Since 2004 

 

February 7-11, 2026

The Muse in Winter Retreat: 15th Year Taos, New Mexico

Let me know if you're interested. This retreat fills up.

Art, writing, yoga, laughter, food at the enchantment of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in magical New Mexico. 

 

Every Monday 8:30 am pacific, 11am eastern

Time to Show-Up
If you're having a hard time showing up for yourself, come to my complimentary "Parallel Universe Time." We've been meeting 20 years to hold the space for each other to get to our intentions. I open with five minutes of mindfulness, we work for 50 minutes, and conclude with optional sharing. It's not necessary to have your camera on If you're more than 5 minutes late, there will be silence, because we are working.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/887946679