Painting

During the pandemic, I wanted to find a way to stretch myself - always having had an interest in painting but never really tried it; like so many others, I have taken this as an opportunity to dive in. Painting has proven a very fruitful exercise, not that I am suggesting that I am the next Vincent van Gogh or painting master. I am making a ton of mistakes and learning a few key lessons that have recently influenced the way I have been thinking about Product Management. During my early morning painting sessions, which usually start around 4:15 am, I get lost in the painting, lost in my thoughts, continuously thinking about my team, my products, and applying what I am learning on the canvas to my work.

1) I have 17 different tubes of oil paint, but this doesn't mean I am limited to 17 colors to paint with; from these 17 colors, I can create an infinite number of colors and shades. A smidge of Dioxazine Purple added to blue "warms" up the sky layers that I just painted. Diverse perspectives, mixing different paint beyond yellow + blue = green results in a vibrancy that I would have never anticipated.

2) You can always correct, sharpen focus, wipe clean, tweak a color; there is still an opportunity to correct a mistake, even after you have laid the paint down.

3) The warmth and depth of the painting change over time as it dries, and every time I go back and look at one of my paintings, I see something different, something that I could or would do differently next time.  

4) Looking at your painting up close reveals all of the brush strokes, the "mistakes," the shakey lines....but when you step back 6 feet, you see your image come alive, and now those lines make sense. This has taught be it is vital to stand-up every so often, step back, and see how things are shaping up.

5) A finished painting is your creation; some will love it, some will critique it, but what did I learn, what mistakes am I comfortable leaving be, what can I improve for next time.

What do you do at 4:15 in the morning that inspires, challenges, and sharpens your focus?