Forget About It

January 1, 2025


There’s an intriguing paradox in the world of art: to create something truly original, an artist must forget everything they know about art. To blossom forth, to create work that stands out, the artist must disregard the very rules and conventions that define what painting "should" be.

At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive. After all, we are taught from an early age that mastering the fundamentals is key to developing as an artist. The rules—perspective, proportion, color theory, composition—are the very foundation of technique. They’re tools that guide the creative process, ensuring that a work is technically sound and visually engaging.

However, here lies the crux of originality: true innovation doesn’t come from rigidly following those rules, but rather from forgetting them when it matters most.

Paradox of Mastery

The famous artist Pablo Picasso once said, "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." This statement touches on an essential truth about the creative process. As an artist develops their skill, they accumulate knowledge and expertise—tools that, in the right hands, allow for breathtaking feats of mastery. But this mastery, while powerful, can become a hindrance if it shackles the artist to conventional expectations.

When an artist is fully immersed in technique, they may begin to paint with a sense of calculation, relying on learned formulas to dictate the outcome. This is where originality can get lost: the artist, focused on what they’ve been taught, may become more concerned with following rules than breaking them. To create truly innovative work, the artist must step beyond this point of calculated expertise and engage with their raw, instinctive creativity. In other words, they must forget the very act of painting and approach their canvas with a fresh, almost childlike openness.

Forgetting the Rules

Forget the rules. Forget the expectations. Forget the voice of your past teachers or the techniques you’ve painstakingly honed. When you step in front of a blank canvas, allow yourself to be consumed by the moment, not by the idea of what you should paint.

This is easier said than done. Every artist has a set of ingrained habits, some so deeply rooted that they almost feel like second nature. These patterns—whether in how we mix paint, choose colors, or place brushstrokes—often emerge subconsciously, shaping the way we approach each new work. Yet, to achieve a breakthrough, these habits must be pushed aside. The artist must cultivate a mindset that is free from the weight of expectations. They must embrace a certain fearlessness, knowing that the process is as important as the product.

By "forgetting" the rules, the artist gives themselves permission to experiment, to play, to fail, and to surprise themselves. It's this uninhibited approach that often leads to moments of brilliance, where the work transcends the limitations of technique and reaches something deeper, something uniquely expressive.

Creativity is a Muscle

Think of creativity as a muscle. The more you use it without the crutch of rules, the stronger it becomes. But like any muscle, it needs room to grow, space to stretch and flex in unconventional ways.

The act of forgetting doesn’t mean abandoning all knowledge. It’s about creating an environment where the mind is open to new possibilities, where the artist can tap into a deeper, more intuitive form of creativity. It’s about turning off the internal critic that screams “That’s wrong!” and replacing it with the voice that whispers, “What if…?” When this happens, the artist is no longer confined by the expectations of what they should create and is free to explore new forms, colors, and techniques that feel right in the moment.

This is when true originality blooms. It is often in the moments of spontaneity, when technique gives way to intuition, that an artist discovers their voice. Whether they are using new materials, experimenting with abstraction, or blending genres, it’s in these moments of forgetfulness that the work becomes fresh, alive, and unrepeatable. These are the moments that make art more than just a picture on a wall—they make it a living, breathing expression of thought and emotion.

Dance of Creation

Art is a dance between freedom and discipline, chaos and order. Rules, while important in guiding the basic structure of a work, are only effective when they serve the artist’s vision, not the other way around. The tension between forgetting and remembering is what fuels the artistic process, pushing the artist to create work that isn’t just good or proficient but truly original.

In a sense, the artist's greatest challenge is not to “learn” how to paint, but to unlearn. To strip away the mental clutter of conventions, of what's come before, and to create from a place of deep authenticity. Only then can they push the boundaries of what is possible, using their knowledge to serve the instinct, not the other way around.

Power of Forgetting

To paint with true originality, an artist must first forget painting. They must forget the rules and conventions, the technical formulas that they have mastered, and allow their intuition to take the lead. It is only when the artist sheds the weight of expectation that the art can truly be free.

This act of forgetting is not about abandoning the past or the knowledge they’ve accumulated; it’s about using that knowledge as a foundation for something more authentic, more unique. In doing so, they create not just a painting, but a living expression of their innermost creativity—something that can only emerge when the mind is free to explore, to fail, and to forget.

So, the next time you sit down to paint, try this: forget the paintbrush, forget the canvas, forget what you “should” create. And instead, let the work unfold naturally, guided by your intuition and your raw, untamed creativity. It’s in this moment of forgetting that the most original art is born.