Mastering a new skill is hard

I love learning. But sometimes I forget that learning entails frustration, confusion, doubt -- at least when it comes to art. Two steps forward and one step back (only one, if you're lucky).

I'm at that "one step back" stage now with encaustics. I keep reminding myself that I'm just a beginner trying to master a tricky medium (wax). Beginners make mistakes, produce ugly things, waste art supplies. 


Case in point -- my "circles" experiment. I made the same image in several different ways hoping that I would figure out the best technique.

Here's attempt #1. Not bad for the first time. I like the colors, but the layer of wax is too thick and cloudy. My wax has "pits," instead of being glass smooth. And, to put it bluntly, my circles are sloppy and ragged. 

Attempt #2: I tried to recreate the design, fixing the problems. I started with large black circles, then smaller yellow ones, and finally red on top. I painted a thin layer of gold-green wax in the space between the circles. My circles are blurry, but the wax isn't cloudy. And no pits. Better than #1. Second step forward.

Attempt #3: My instructor told me I'd done the circles in the wrong order. He suggested that I layer the wax and then scrape it off to reveal the colors underneath. So I went in reverse order, starting with red, then yellow and finally black on top. I scraped off the extra, revealing cleaner circles. But look at those pits! And I hate the color I chose for the background. One step backward!

Wax is less forgiving than other mediums. Mistakes are impossible to undo or cover up. But I like the challenge. At least when I'm stepping forward, not back.

What about you? How do you encourage yourself to get through the un-fun parts of learning?