Picasso once said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Why is it so difficult to hold on to that childlike curiosity? We slowly grow out of it, without ever really knowing when or how it happens. Sometimes I wish we could identify the exact turning point. As adults, we are often so preoccupied with rules, expectations and being serious that we forget how to play and how to enjoy the little things.
Think back to your own childhood. What made you curious? What made you laugh? What was your favorite sweet?
I loved chocolate-covered marshmallows, spending hours browsing in stationery shops, and playing endlessly in our large garden with my sisters. We didn't have all the distractions children have today, so our imaginations had plenty of room to run wild. Perhaps that is why mine still does so often.
Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist's Way , emphasizes that her book is not only for artists. What she writes is valuable for everyone. One of her loveliest ideas is to plan an “artist date”: a moment when you take your inner child out for a little adventure.
I try to do this regularly. My ideal artist date? Browsing in a stationery shop and choosing new pens or notebooks. Visiting the library and reading children's picture books. And, of course, buying a bag of chocolate-covered marshmallows… and eating them all by myself.
So, if you could use a little inspiration this summer, take your inner child on a date. You may be surprised by how much creativity, wonder and joy are still waiting for you there.
As a contemporary landscape artist, I've discovered that some of my best ideas don't arrive in the studio. They begin with curiosity, a visit to a stationery shop, a children's book, or simply giving themselves permission to play.
Thank you for reading Studio Notes.
I'm Donique van Schaik, a contemporary landscape artist based in the Netherlands. My paintings explore light, memory and atmosphere.