In this motivational video, Christie Renee Hawkins (Christy of The Social Easel) opens Better Together Paint Week by addressing the crippling effect of perfectionism on creative joy. She argues that perfectionism is a lie, citing that only Jesus was perfect and that the goal should be to do one’s best and strive for progress. Hawkins frames painting (and any new skill) as a learning process that requires grace, mistakes, and growth. She explains how perfectionist thinking—especially among Type‑A personalities—creates fear, negative self‑talk, and stalls artistic development. Throughout, she emphasizes focusing on the process, celebrating small wins, and viewing each lesson as an opportunity to learn rather than to produce a flawless final piece. Hawkins also outlines the structure of the week: daily mindset topics, evening painting sessions, and a supportive community where participants can ask questions and receive guidance. She invites viewers to join the first evening lesson at 6:30 PM, a Caribbean‑beach themed acrylic tutorial, promising a relaxed, fun atmosphere (margarita for Cinco de Mayo). The core takeaway is to replace the pursuit of perfection with a mindset of progress, allowing joy, creativity, and personal growth to flourish.
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Hey everyone, Christy with The Social Easel. Happy Monday, happy Cinco de Mayo. Um, we are here this morning to talk about our mindset, and the specific subject that I wanted to discuss this morning with you guys is progress over perfection and not letting, um, the tendency of perfectionism to steal our joy, to stop us from creating. It is honestly one of the biggest hurdles that I hear my students talk about when it comes to painting, and sometimes even when it comes to just getting started. That, that— and we're going to talk about fear later this week— but that expectation of something being perfect and the expectation of what it's going to turn out like at the end, and can I do this and the doubt that sets in when we set these unattainable goals for ourselves. And what I mean by unattainable is setting the, the goal of perfection. Because, you know, here's what I know is perfectionism is actually a lie. So we're chasing a lie, right? There is no perfect thing on this earth. The only perfect thing that ever was was Jesus, and he did not ask for any of us to be perfect. What he asked for was for us to do our best and to strive, um, to do better, right? And I think that that same philosophy applies to art when you're creating. If we come in with that mindset of this has to be perfect, and if it's not, then it's no good— and, and think about the things that you're saying in your head to yourself when you have perfectionism as an expectation. So, um, each morning this week during this Better Together Paint Week, we are going to talk about a different subject matter that has to do with your mindset. Because, um, yes, we're going to paint, um, every evening together. But when it comes to those of you who are watching this, and maybe you follow me online, maybe you're new to me, um, and you're intrigued by learning how to paint, Um, but it is about so much more than that. And after, gosh, 12 years of teaching thousands of women and men how to paint, I've seen the same thing come up again and again for people. And these are the hurdles that we're going to talk about during this paint week and about us being better together. So before you ever sit down to your canvas, before you ever sit down with your supplies and your mixed media pad. Um, if our mindset is not in the right place, there's only so much good we're going to be able to do on that canvas, and there's only so much joy we're going to be able to get from the experience. And, um, as far as how I teach and my philosophy of being a creative and teaching you guys is, it's so much more than about the finished product. This is not about making a perfect painting. This is not about making sure that it looks exactly like Christie's example. That is not at all what I want for you guys to be striving towards when you're learning to create. Most of you watching right now probably don't have years of experience, and this is all a new field to you. So I want you to enter into this like giving yourself grace knowing that you're not going to be perfect. So go ahead and take it off the table. Take that expectation away. I don't expect it from you, and you shouldn't expect it from yourself. You are learning a new skill, and that is all painting is. You're learning a new skill set. This would be the same if you were learning how to cook, or you were learning how to work out, or you're learning how to fish, or to draw, whatever it may be. Any one of us can do any one of those things, but we can't just walk into a room and magically do it, right? We have to learn the skill sets in order to do those things, and in order to build those skills, we have to be willing to make mistakes. If we always expect ourselves to be perfect and we don't allow room for mistakes, then you're not really growing, okay? You grow by every mistake that you make, right? It's a learning lesson. Just like— I mean, how many of you are moms out there? It's like we tell our kids, right? You learn by making mistakes. Guess what? That life lesson, that's going to stick with you a whole lot more if you had to learn the hard way than just always following the rules, right? And the other thing about chasing perfectionism, I don't know about you guys, but who wants to just be perfect? Like, that's so boring. I don't want to look at a perfect piece of art. I don't want to see a perfect person. Like, everyone has their own uniqueness, um, their own faults, and, um, you know, all those things that make us special and unique, just like every piece of art is special and unique. Um, so perfectionism is boring. Being perfect is boring. Be like— don't be afraid to like find your voice in painting and, and find what makes you happy. And that's what painting ultimately is all about. This is about you, um, doing something new for you, right? You don't want to add something to your life that is just going to cause you stress and give you one more thing to, you know, have a higher standard to live up to. I better be really good at this too. That steals your joy right from the beginning. So don't let perfectionism do that. If you tend to be of a Type A personality, um, my hope and my goal in learning to paint with me is that I help break that, um, for you a little, little by little, that you start learning to trust me and you start learning to trust the process with painting, that you no longer see being perfect as the ultimate goal. What I want you to focus on instead of being perfect is progress. At the end of every lesson that you do with me, whether it be a full step-by-step tutorial, whether it be a technique lesson, whether it be mixing colors or learning how to put together a composition, I want you to focus on what you are learning and how you are growing, and the progress that you are making as an artist. That is what is important. The end product, the finished painting— that's not what's important. What's important is the time that you put into it and the process of just getting lost in the creative process. So, um, you know, I always say, like, chasing perfectionism is like the enemy of progress. You can't have it both ways. And when you are creating, like, you have to realize, like, every, every piece of art, every masterpiece starts messy. We talk a lot about the messy middle. And, uh, not every painting, but most paintings, you get through, you get to like a part where you're like, is this really gonna come together? You may even question me if you're, if you're painting along with me. Does Christy really know what she's doing here? Because this looks like a hot mess right now. That's okay. There— your painting is not going to look complete until it's complete. But so often we jump ahead, and when, when we look at our canvas and we look at where we are in the process, and we're like, oh my gosh, I don't know about this, and then it— in that perfectionism and that Type A, it starts this like negative train of thoughts going through our heads. And then we start saying, do you really know what you're doing? Maybe you should just toss aside. Like, maybe you don't even need to finish this. Look at what it looks like right now. That is— that is not— those are not the thoughts I want to have running through your head when you are painting with me, when you are painting in general, when you're painting on your own. Um, I want you to do things, and then I want you to get excited. Look what I just did! Look at that new skill that I just learned! Maybe it's not going to happen the first time you do it. How many— how many chefs cook and execute a, a great meal exactly the way they wanted it the first time they cook? Most likely very few or none of them, right? So take that expectation away. Whenever we set expectations, then we're just asking for disappointment. So instead, walk into this creative experience this week, painting all these different styles of paintings that you're gonna get to paint with me. And walk into it knowing you're going to learn, you're going to grow, you're going to make progress, you're going to make mistakes. You're not trying to be perfect, and you're going to be doing this with a whole bunch of other people who are doing it right alongside of you. You're going to be doing it with me that you can ask questions to, that you can get guidance from. And I really want you to start falling in love with the process of creating instead of putting the focus and the energy on that finished, finished product. Okay. The other thing about trying to be perfect is that you're putting pressure on yourself. And when you're putting that kind of pressure on yourself, you can't really experience joy at the same time because all that's going through your head is, I'm worried, I'm worried it's not going to turn out the way I want it to turn out. What if I, what if I do the next step wrong? What if I put a paint color down on here that's wrong and then I'm never going to be able to fix it? And all these thoughts start going through your head, which, by the way, none of that is true. Um, we're painting with acrylic paint. You can paint over just about anything. And if you do mess up and, and you have to start over again, that's okay too. Like, I just did a lesson about this inside my master class of like, is this a fail? That's okay, because guess what? We learn from failing too. Like, I started on a painting and I was like, I am not feeling that at all. That's okay, and that's normal, and that's part of being a creative. Not everything just flows out of you, um, perfectly every single time. Um, so just keep, keep this first thing in, in your mind is perfectionism, being perfect, it's, it's overrated. It's blocking your creativity, it's blocking you from experiencing joy, and it's, it's blocking you from just experiencing in general because you're not focused on what you're working on in the present. So, um, just remember, like, it doesn't have to be perfect. You just have to be here in the moment. Um, so I hope that that little boost on your Monday helps you. Um, I hope you go back to this and you remember how important it is to mind your mind, how important it is to remember that we don't need to be putting any extra pressure on ourselves. We're just here to have fun, to learn a new skill, to learn how to paint, and all those things are fun. But sometimes our own minds are our worst enemies. And so mind your mind, pay attention to what you're saying to yourself, give yourself grace throughout this week and throughout your creative journey, and understand that the growth, the progress, that all comes in the creative process. It doesn't come from being perfect, because when you're trying to be perfect, you're too scared to make the next step. And so you're limiting what you're allowing yourself to learn. That's a great way to look at it. If you need to make perfection the enemy, make perfection the enemy, because it's stopping you from achieving ultimately what you want to achieve, um, because you're more worried about making a mistake than you are about learning a skill set. However, whether that comes with failure and, and a bunch of mistakes leading up to success. Um, so just keep that, keep that in the back of your mind. Um, this is all— this week is all about finding joy and creating, and that is what we're gonna talk about every single day. And then we're gonna do some really fun paintings at night. Um, so that's all I've got for you right now, just super short and sweet. And I will see you tonight at 6 PM for our first lesson. It's going to be our Caribbean beach. I'll probably be sipping margarita for Cinco de Mayo while I'm teaching you guys, and it's going to be a lot of fun. So grab your PJs, get your paints ready, come back and join me tonight at 6:30.
