Hi all, I wanted to share a quote that has been attributed to Michelangelo: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." I really like the quote, as he was one of the most exceptional painters of all time, and it gives an insight into his mindset. It's true that we often set ourselves goals that we think are difficult but realistic. Then we do achieve them over time and forget that we actually did. Given this process works, why not aim much higher? It must have taken a lot of courage for Michelangelo to set the bar so high for his painting, as it must have taken him a lot of work to then reach those skills. I'm sure all the greats, Michelangelo, Sargent, Ingres, Bouguereau etc, at some point had to set the bar higher than all their contemporaries, and deal with that very high goal. Some questions for group reflection: 1) What are some goals that you thought were high back in the days but now you reached them without appreciating it much? 2) What are some goals that would aim you "too high", but following Michelangelo's advice maybe you should set for yourself to reach them? I go first 1) "Tough" goals of the past that I reached and forgot that I reached -I wanted to draw realistic portraits and figures and thought that would be almost impossible to do. But actually I've completed a few that are much better than what I thought I'd be capable off. Thanks to Chris not just copied, but also designed. -I exceeded the goal of just drawing realistic portraits and figures by getting into watercolor, oil painting, and the many concepts Chris teaches here in so much more depth than I thought I would. It became a whole part of my life. 2) A goal that feels "too high" but that I want to try: -I would like to do very in-depth master studies (like Chris posted recently), with the specific purpose of creating a "master drawing" myself. Meaning a drawing of a photo I took myself, where I think through every part of the drawing and make conscious decisions about the idea, the story, the look, the composition, the shape/value/form/edge design etc. I want to analyze how other masters made decisions in creating pictures and compare notes on what I like/dislike, and through that create my own "master" drawing. Basically a drawing that's completely my own image, and I consciously designed every single part of it to the best of my ability. I want to follow Sargent's process and actually take a few months to build this, and see what I can draw if I take a few months, not just a few hours, to plan, figure out and execute a drawing.

It's been a wild week creatively. I feel this incredible force. This pull. Something has taken over me. Pulling me in a new(ish) direction. It's pretty cool. As the Christians would say, "I have the Holy Spirit" in me. Anyway I've been experimenting like crazy. The weekly Bangkok life drawing was yesterday. These watercolors looks crazy to me. I was possessed. I think they look pretty dope. I was basically trying to be as fearless and bold and risk taking as possible. Trying to channel my watercolor hero Nathan Fowkes.

As artists we all have our weird and wonderful ways of getting inspired to do our art. Whether it's routines, going to nature, watching movies, using materials that inspire us... There are many ways we use to recharge our creative fuel. And also many ways we drain it, by doing things that stop our creativity. I'm curious: What things have helped you to feel creatively charged over the years? What do you do when you don't feel like creating? Is it just discipline? How do you stay balanced as an artist? I noticed I feel the most pumped to draw when I actually have the ambition to get much better from it, instead of it just being a "practice drawing I should be doing". The days where I believe I could become masterful at a high level at this, are the ones where I draw most effortlessly for hours. The days where I somehow think drawing is a trivial past time but I should do it, the practice feels meaningless. There are other things I noticed help me increase my creative output, like doing exercise, going to nature, journaling... but I'm curious, what is it for you? What do your creative ebbs and flows look like? I know @Chris you draw daily? Did you always do this, or how did you get into it?

2 master studies I did. First one is Renoir (focused only on portrait, original painting is a bit bigger). Second one is a Sargent, as I liked the composition.

I took a day to visit the John Singer Sargent Exhibition in Paris at Musée d'Orsay. I'm lucky it's only a 4 hour train ride from where I live in Germany. The Musée d'Orsay is also famous for it's impressionist collection (Degas, Renoir, etc), but also got some amazing Bougereaus, Ingres, and some cool works of the students of Ingres I didn't know (Amaury Duval). This is the third museum visit for me in the last 12 months or so (National Gallery London, Rijks Museum Amsterdam), and I must say it's crazy how much I learn each time. The energy, mark making, the detail, it's just so much easier to see in the real painting. The first two were studies from Sargent at school. The charcoal one he did as a student. I added a few close ups.