When I began art-making, the advice I found on the internet was “buy the best you can afford.” So I did. I bought expensive paper, expensive brushes, expensive paint. But, at first, a curious thing happened – I just didn’t use them. Why? Because I was scared of making a mistake. What if I waste a $30 piece of paper? What if I damaged a tiny, $70 brush? What if, after spending $300 on paint, it turns out I’ve bought the wrong ones?
Sometimes, working with less expensive materials is all you need to start creating. Art-making is already laden with the fear of failure; could we be making it worse by encouraging people to buy ‘the best they can afford’? I’ve learned that I paint a lot more if I’m not using canvases but cheap plywood from Bunnings. I buy large sheets of it for about $15, cut it up at home and get about 6 or 7 decent sized painting surfaces. What I make wont’ be worthy of galleries, but chances are it won’t be anyway because I’m only starting to learn. Instead, I’m painting, and when it comes down to it, that’s the most important thing and the hardest part.