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Brilliant Failures: What My Painting Taught Me About Growth

Oops! Sometimes things don’t go quite as planned. Like today. I hesitated before sharing this, but hey, it’s part of the journey. Creating beautiful things comes with its fair share of hiccups, right?

Take my painting Bacalar, for example. It was completely finished—signed and all. Just one final coat of varnish to seal it. Everything was going smoothly, until I reached my signature. As soon as I brushed the varnish over it, my signature turned into a big smudge! I’d completely forgotten that I’d signed it with a different marker, not my usual acrylic one, which would’ve needed a protective layer first.

After a few frustrated sighs, I took it as one more lesson in the creative process. Mistakes like these can sting, but they’re part of growth—and growth sometimes comes with a bit of pain.