Are you waiting for permission?

Last week I was surprised to see Helen Frankenthaler in an exhibition nearby.

I was excited, because I love her work.

She captures the flow of paint. She was so open and inquisitive about what paint could do. And the work she created is unlike anybody else’s.

I bet she wasn’t thinking: is this okay?

The reason I like to talk about the art of other artists is simple:

We tend to forget they were exploring too.

We look at finished work in a museum and we assume certainty.

But the truth is: they were not sure what would happen either. They were not sure if it would be “right.” They were working inside questions.

And still, they did it.

Helen thinned down her oil paint and started pouring it.

That was not according to the standard rules—rules that were widely accepted in the art world at the time.

But she didn’t ask for permission.
She didn’t ask her artist friends if it was okay.

She just did it.

She became the artist who changed everything.

She was the first to pour paint onto raw canvas. She played in it with her hands. She made big shapes. She moved fast. She let the material lead.

And I bet she wasn’t thinking: Is this okay?

That question—is this okay?—is where so many artists lose their work.

Because the moment you ask it, you start painting for an invisible “them.”

You start negotiating. You start correcting. You start trying to be acceptable.

But what if you didn’t?

What if you treated your studio the way Frankenthaler treated paint—as something you can be curious about?

What if you made one move simply to find out what would happen?

Not as a performance.
Not as a test.
Not to prove anything.

Just to discover.

I made a short 2-minute video about this question and why I paint…

Here’s a small question to take into your next session:

What would I do today if I didn’t ask for permission first?

If you want to tell me what you would do, email me.