Get wiser quicker - learn from our mistakes! [10] - Alice Sheridan: contemporary artist

Often we only get better at something by doing it wrong first. But it’s very tempting to do something once, not get the results you wished for – and then give up. If something’s worth doing then it’s worth sticking with so you actually have the chance to benefit from your own experiences.

I would love to know which mistakes you’ve made learned most from – maybe some of ours are yours too. Let us know in the comments below. Bonus points for funny stories!

This week we hear what leaf blowers have to do with buying art, which leads us into the benefits of longevity. Of course we all make mistakes and learn as we go, but we hope to make things a bit easier by sharing some of the mistakes we’ve made – from email marketing, understanding how to talk about yourself and your work and simply not knowing how to sell paintings because they are so mysteriously different.

See Alice’s first ever email here ( but don’t reply to it as it goes to an old email address!)

Louise Fletcher feeling brave – new work in progress

Audience Question

We have a great listener question: “When do you decide when a painting is finished? So often, I like what I see, but want to push forward for something even more dynamic. I am nervous that I will mess it up (and I have!). But…always afraid I am not reaching my full potential in a particular painting if I give up too early. Help!” We have some time based suggestions – and also the two types of fear you may be having around finishing a work.