Pursue your Hobbies

We fear what we don't understand

Here's two things I learned from doing my first painting since high school.

1. Your artistic journey is non-linear. When I look back at the strange little hobbies and side projects I've gotten into. At the time, I had no idea how they would end up shaping the direction my life's taken and made me a better artist today.

2. So often, the things we fear, misunderstand, and dread are things we haven't taken to time to understand. They frustrate us, and instead of leaning into them to hear what they are trying to teach us, we turn and run the other way (This is what I did).
I think this also applies to the rest of life, not just art or skill based tasks. Often, the reason we judge or dislike another person or group is because we don't understand them. This goes for both conservative and liberal people.
Lately, whenever I have a judgemental or negative thought towards something or someone, I've been trying to transform that into understanding. It's not easy, but I find it's slowly making me a more compassionate and whole person.