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For all the non-painters out there, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.....When I first begin a painting and I'm not sure where to start, I squint. I squint at whatever it is I'm trying to paint. Many artists do. This removes all the pesky color variations, and those little extraneous details that can be distracting and, frankly, overwhelming to paint. Try it! Look at whatever is in close proximity to you without squinting, and notice the details. Right now I'm looking at a tree, and I can see every branch, every single twig and leaf…even down to the little bark squiggles and moss. Okay, now close your eyes about halfway and squint. Simplifies things a lot, right? For me, all those little leaves have merged into one mass of beautiful greens, and all those teeny twigs have disappeared. I still know it's a tree, and I feel the essence of the tree, but without all the commotion. To me, squinting is a form of minimalism.

I've become a fan of minimalism. As I understand it, minimalism is about removing or minimizing the things in our lives that create a barrier to what's most important. Material clutter, emotional baggage, societal and financial pressures....Everyone's journey with minimalism is different. For artists, it can mean lessening obligations and setting boundaries to allow more time to create. It can mean conveying the soul and essence of your artwork without including distracting details. Maybe it means decreasing debt and the hours you work for someone else, so that you can do the meaningful creating that brings you joy. Maybe you need to unclutter your studio. Whatever barriers we all have, and whatever obstacles are keeping us from the amazing life we're capable of living, we owe it to ourselves and each other to remove them.

Yes, I believe in the power of squinting. Let's 'squint out' distracting details, so we can better see the big picture. Let's pay less attention to our differences with others, and spend more energy understanding them. Let's focus less on daily grievances, and more on the joy of simply living. Let's minimize the meaningless. Minimize, squint, and create.

For more information on minimalism and living a meaningful life, check out the amazing essays by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists.