Let it sit. Let it breathe. Let it tell you

Last week, I wrote about the messy middle—that uncomfortable, murky stage in a painting (or a series) where things feel unclear, awkward, and maybe even a bit hopeless.

This week, I want to talk about something just as important:
the pause.

Because after the messy middle, and often during it, there comes a moment when the best thing you can do is… nothing.

Seriously.

Not push harder. Not “fix it.”

Just let the work sit.

This is one of the most difficult things for me to do because I love to solve problems. But there’s a particular kind of magic that happens when we walk away. When we stop trying to make the painting work and give it space to breathe, something softens.

Maybe it’s our grip.

Maybe it’s our expectations.

Maybe it’s the inner critic who finally goes quiet when we’re not hovering over the canvas.

Whatever it is, this pause—this not doing—is a deeply creative act.

As I say, this hasn't been an easy lesson for me to learn. I am very much a 'doer' and i find it difficult to pause 9in anything!). But over the years, I've learned to build in this step.

When a painting feels tense, confused, or frustrating, I stop. I put it somewhere visible—but not front and centre. I live with it. I glance at it out of the corner of my eye.

And slowly, things begin to shift.

• I start to feel what the painting wants.

• I stop reacting and start observing.

• I gain clarity—not because I worked harder, but because I waited.

This is especially true in a series.

When you’re working on a group of paintings, the urge to get it right can be overwhelming. But often, the clearest breakthroughs happen when you stop trying to force a result and let the work lead you.

It's important to be patient. Clarity takes time. And the more complex and meaningful the work, the more important the pause.

In my courses, I talk a lot about the 'rush for results.' This is the desire to finish a painting almost as soon as we have started it. This is a very natural feeling in a world driven by productivity, but it's not a good mindset for art-making. Paintings that are finished too quickly are often finished before they are ready.

This doesn't mean that some art can't happen quickly - of course it can and does. But you know when you're pushing something to move faster than it wants to. You know how tight and tense that makes you feel. You know how frustrated you get.

Imagine trying to push a child to grow into an adult overnight - completely futile!

So if you’re in a stuck spot right now, I invite you to give yourself—and your work—a little breathing room.

Let it sit.

Let it talk to you.

Let it become what it needs to be.

You never need to push your pantings to the finish line - you just need to allow them to grow in their own time. Like children, they will soon enough become the grown-ups they are meant to be :)