Open Discussion: What Did You Learn from Your Worst Art Mistake?

In this week’s Open Discussion let’s start with a question you’ve probably asked yourself: what’s your worst artistic mistake? What’s the craziest, most shudder-inducing screw up you’ve walked right into? Have something in mind? Okay good. I’d like to ask what’s the biggest lesson you learned from this error. Was there an equally big lesson you learned about yourself or your creative work?

I ask because when I look back on my biggest artistic blunders, they are undoubtedly the occasions where I have learned the most. Perhaps mistakes you’ve made will still be raw and painful, or if enough time has passed perhaps they are hilarious.

I think of the biggest mistakes I’ve made with my artwork (of which there have been many) and know I will never make the same mistakes again. From the time I didn’t add fixate to a photograph in the darkroom, or dubiously mixed oil and acrylics, or sent an email to an editor that was intended for my brother, blunders with creative work can be good, kinda, sorta, once the embarrassment has worn off.

Let’s discuss this further in the comments below and share your experiences on the best things to come out of big blunders.