I may not be the world’s greatest artist, but in my free time, I don’t mind “doodling” (as they put it) in my sketchbook.

Usually by the end of the sketch I’m annoyed about something I screwed up and I throw a mental tantrum. However, as I’ve looked back at my sketches over the years, I began to see the merit in a few and decided to make the most of them.

What you see to the left, is half an accident and half a drawing I copied from a photo I loved. I’ll give you the back-story. The background is the direct result of being a rookie painter without a painting pallet. I had at least ten of these in one particular scrapbook of mine. I was drawn in by colours. The only problem was, there was one section in the centre of the “painting” and it completely ruined the whole thing. So I got to wondering how I could cover it up. I couldn’t be bothered getting the paint out, so I flipped a few pages over and found a half finished, half ruined drawing. I glued it on and ta-da! I also couldn’t be bothered getting out my scissors, but I think the lazy approach has benefited this accidental artwork.

So why am I sharing my accidental artwork with you? Not necessarily because I’m super proud of my lazy art skills, but to let you know that there’s a world of possibilities. For any creative person, a mental tantrum is a common thing. Ruining something one day and realising new possibilities the next, is what we’ve got to embrace. I recommend having a look through some of your old work and at the very least, noting its merit. In other words, give yourself a pat on the back. It’s not all that bad!