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Writer's pictureVictoria Scott

Let It Be Ugly

Hey there! Victoria Scott here to share this painting with you. I'm really happy with this one and I was able to create this beauty by letting it be ugly. Let me explain.

I have a friend who's a really talented artist. She hadn't painted for a while and wanted to get back into it, but she kept making excuses to put it off. Underneath the excuses, the real reason was that she was afraid she wouldn't be good anymore and that fear was holding her back from something she loves.


Isn't it relatable?

The more we achieve the more it seems we have to lose.


Sometimes after a big win at work, instead of feeling happy, we can feel even worse because now the pressure is really on. Not only do we need to repeat that performance, now we need to exceed it so that everyone doesn't find out that we're actually a fraud.


Who wouldn't want to give up when trying comes at such a cost?


But does it really work that way? Does one failure negate a history of success?


Does it have to?


I shared with my friend a saying I'd heard that all paintings go through an ugly phase and some don't ever leave it. I asked her what could happen if she just let the painting be ugly and she wanted to try it. I decided to join her and paint something outside my comfort zone that I would let be ugly too. Then I proceeded to paint a deer.


It was pretty ugly.


So it was a success, right? Well, not the way you might think.


The truth is even though I said I would let it be ugly, I was really hoping for it to be good. I got caught up in trying to make good happen. I lost sight of the potential. I only saw flaws. I was fixing things that just made everything worse.


Hard work, determination, and high standards are very useful in many scenarios but they're not always the right tools.


That was definitely the case for me. After several days, I finally accepted defeat and let it go.


There were a lot of lessons in that painting. I wasn't really bought into ugly after all. It was hard to let the outcome go. It was hard to stop trying so hard. It was hard to keep going and it was hard to stop. And it wasn't fun.


I let go all the way and let my feelings be ugly. All the things we avoid and deny. I let myself long to be a great artist. I let myself be disappointed. I let myself admit that maybe I wasn't very talented.


The funny thing about ugly feelings is that we tend to perceive them to be much more powerful than they are. Why else would we avoid them?


Once we accept them they tend to lose their importance and they tend to look more human than ugly.


After all, most people don't achieve things because they're scared they can't. Most people are driven by something meaningful that fulfills them, and it's easy to lose perspective now and again.


I painted more and I got the idea to paint this Cardinal that got curious about Christmas lights. I was so excited to paint it that I even remembered to film it so I could share it with you.


The most amazing thing happened.


I trusted myself that it would be whatever it was supposed to be, even if it didn't turn out right on the first try, and I relaxed.


It came easily and it felt awesome.


And I only got there by letting it be ugly first.


What could change for you if you decided to let something be ugly in your life, especially during this stressful holiday season?

What if an experience didn't have to be perfect to be special?

What if a misstep could just lead you to a new path?

What if you could have fun making memories in the mess?

What if you didn't need to be perfect and you could just let go a little?


What could you let be ugly in your life to give yourself some space and grace this year?


If this message spoke to you and you'd like to learn more about working with me, reach out to me for your free consult today so we can discover just what's possible for you.

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