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- Herausgeber: tredition
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
It’s about painting — but even more, it’s about you. This book invites you to pick up the brush, not to impress, but to express. It’s for anyone who wants to rediscover their creative voice, reconnect with their inner world, and explore what it really means to make art without pressure or perfection. It’s not a how-to. It’s a why-to. Through gentle reflections, inspiring prompts, and real voices from fellow creatives, this book holds space for your doubts, your breakthroughs, and your quiet moments of joy at the canvas. At its heart, it’s a reminder: You are creative. You are allowed. You are enough.
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Seitenzahl: 84
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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© 2025 Author / Rights holder: Petra Schmiedecke
Publisher: Petra Schmiedecke
Adress: Butjadinger Straße 310, 26125 Oldenburg, Germany
Author: Petra Schmiedecke
Cover design, illustration, design: Petra Schmiedecke
All images by Petra Schmiedecke
Publisher & Printing: tredition GmbH,
Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany
ISBN: 978-3-384-63354-5 (Paperback)
978-3-384-63355-2 (Hardcover)
978-3-384-63356-9 (e-Book)
The work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. Any use is not permitted without the consent of the publisher and the author. This applies in particular to electronic or other reproduction, translation, distribution and making available to the public.
Contact address in accordance with the EU Product Safety Regulation:
Bibliographic information of the German National Library:
The German National Library lists this publication in the
German National Bibliography;
detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
The author on the Internet: www.petra-schmiedecke.de
Hey, I’m so glad you’re here!
This book isn’t about creating perfect masterpieces — it’s about you and your very own adventure with color, brushes, and imagination.
You’ll soon discover that painting is so much more than technique. It’s a journey inward — a playground for your feelings and thoughts, a space to explore and let go.
This isn’t a dry how-to manual. It’s your personal guide through the vibrant, exciting world of art — a world that’s way more than just paint on canvas. It’s about you, your emotions, your ideas — and how to find your own creative language through color and brushstrokes.
And don’t worry if you ever get stuck or start doubting yourself. This book is full of encouragement, simple exercises, and little sparks of inspiration to help you find your flow — and have a whole lot of fun along the way.
So let’s ditch the perfectionism and turn up the joy of creating. Get ready for a creative journey where the goal isn’t a flawless result — it’s everything you discover about yourself along the way.
Grab your brushes, loosen up, and let’s dive into a world where creativity knows no rules.
Ready? Let’s go.
Let’s just start painting — together.
Table of Contents
Cover
Copyright
Hey, I’m So Glad You’re Here!
Title Page
About Me
How It All Began
Just Start Painting
My Tip: Paint from the Moment
Hello, Creative Block – Nice of You to Drop by
Control Takes the Wheel
An Invitation to Shift
Alright then: Welcome, creative block!
My Tip: The Thought Box
When the Soul Hurts
My Tip: Painting Through Emotion – Give It Space, Don’t Cover It Up
Is It True – or Just My Truth?
The Language of the Brain’s Two Halves
Two Perspectives — Two Drawings
Sensing Space — Rational or Felt
Of Faucets and Intuition
Art Between Structure and Feeling
My Tip: Train Both Sides of Your Perception
Thinking – Seeing – Feeling
My Tip:
Being in the Moment – When Painting Just Happens
My Tip: Being in the Moment – How to Find Your Creative Flow
“I've Got an Idea…”
Some Ground Rules for Starting with a Theme:
My Tip: Easing into a Theme—Gently
The “Egg” Project
1. Observing – Starting in See Mode
2. Associating – What comes to mind when I think of an egg?
3. Questioning – What’s beneath the surface?
4. Expansion – Even More Questions
5. Project Finale – Relax & Dream It Out
My Tip: How “Nothing” Becomes a Project
Only constructive voices allowed from here on out
My Tip: From Dream to Action
A Toast to Sensitivity
When Music Turns into Colors
The Downside of Sensitivity
What Helps Then
Sensitivity as a Gift
My Tip: How to Channel an Idea Overflow — Creatively
There’s Something in the Air
The Mysteries of Painting
Thoughts – Fleeting Yet Shaping
How to Break Free from the “I Can’t Draw” Loop
Drawing as Style, Not Perfection
More kindness — especially toward ourselves
Your handwriting is you
Practice builds expression
My Tip: Dare to Sketch!
But…
Sensitivity as a Power Tool
Don’t Think — Just Do
Mysteries and Mental Connections
Morphogenetic Fields – A Collective Memory
My Tip: Make Space for the Unexplainable
Now It’s Time to Show Yourself!
Here I Am – Ready to Be Seen!
We’ve got to protect our space.
Painting is like writing a diary.
But hold up — there are a few traps to watch out for:
1. Praise Can Be a Trap
2. Criticism Can Crush
Showing Your Work – A Major Act of Courage
My Own Aha Moment
My Tip: Show Yourself – but Protect Yourself!
Appreciation
Pricing Your Art – What We’re Worth!
Pricing Example — A Simple Calculation Aid
The Ups and Downs
My Tip: Pricing & Creative Breaks
Does It All Make Sense?
My Tip: (Re)discovering Your Why
One Last Thing
My Tip: Mapping Your Inner Landscape
Conclusion
Illustrations
Just Start Painting!
Cover
Copyright
Title Page
About Me
Illustrations
Just Start Painting!
Cover
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About Me
This book is an invitation to step into my world of painting — and maybe, just maybe, into your own. If you’ve ever had that moment when art suddenly became more than just something hanging on a wall, when it felt personal — then you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
Let’s be real: As a kid, I painted like crazy. Doodles on paper, in the margins of school notebooks, sometimes even where I wasn’t supposed to. It was messy, colorful, and totally joyful. But eventually, I thought I had to paint “the right way.” You know — realistic, with shadows, perspective, and all that stuff. Let’s just say… what ended up on the page often looked more like fantasy than reality.
And art class? Oh my. More frustration than inspiration.
Painting and art have not always been part of my life
Drawing vases, sketching busts, memorizing art history — it all felt so stiff. There was no room for creativity, just rules. I didn’t feel like an artist. I felt like someone trying to pass an exam.
It took me years to find my own voice in painting. Not perfect, not academic — but real. And that’s what I want to share with you. Maybe parts of my story will feel familiar. Maybe it’ll give you the courage to explore your own creative path.
How It All Began
My father had a gift — one that felt almost magical to me as a child. He used to decorate our family photo albums with little hand-drawn figures that perfectly matched the mood of the photos, like they were secretly part of the moment. I could stare at those drawings for hours — full of wonder, admiration, and maybe a little envy.
Even though he loved art, we never visited museums. Instead, he collected images of paintings — stacks of them — but we rarely talked about them. Art was present, but always on the sidelines.
After high school, I moved to Berlin to study education — a city bursting with art and creativity. And me? I walked right past it. Art didn’t speak to me. Not yet.
I decided to give painting a chance.
The real shift came years later — in my early thirties — when life flipped completely upside down. A long-term relationship ended, close friendships fell apart, I was drowning in debt, and my stutter — which I had under control for years — came back full force. Everything I thought was stable… collapsed. My job as an IT specialist? Out of the question. I shut down completely.
Looking back, I’d call it a full-blown burnout.
Love — gone. Friends — gone. Job — gone. Money — gone.
Voice — gone.
And in the middle of that wreckage: me.
At some point, I dragged myself to a therapist. I’ll never forget what he said: “If you can’t speak, then paint it.” I was stunned. Paint? Seriously? I got up, said thank you (I think), and left.
And what did I do? Of course — a week later, I was sitting at my kitchen table with a watercolor set and a brush. Painting.
My first subject? The tulips on the table. The result? A disaster. I was disappointed, angry, frustrated — and swore: Never again flowers. (Spoiler: That didn’t last. Thankfully.)
A picture in the morning, A picture in the evening.
Then I decided to shift focus — not What do I see? but What do I feel?
