On the Importance of State

This book describes the process that the author taught mothers family aesthetics， including enjoying art to improving aesthetics， learning to paint to practicing aesthetic education， and knowing a line to becoming Sunday artists.

Dai Ya’nan

Dai Ya’nan， an aesthetic education writer and ink artist， has published the masterpieces Life Partner： Aesthetic Education Starts with Mothers， A Compulsory Course of Family Aesthetic Education， etc.

All Mothers Are Artists

Dai Ya’nan

CITIC Press Group

March 2022

68.00 （CNY）

In my opinion， when I do something I like， it’s not absolutely necessary to persist or work with all my effort. Of course， there must be some difficulties in this process. However I can experience real happiness after doing it.

Although I should pay painstaking efforts， I can continuously obtain energy and forge ahead， forming a positive cycle. This state is too ideal. When we are painting， we should also enter this state slowly， so as to be nourished from it.

After seeing my paintings， many people ask， “Did you learn painting？” People often ask this question because they believe that only those who have the so-called artistic educational background can paint well. Therefore， they conclude， “You must have learned it.” I often answer with a wry smile， “If a two-week summer course when I was in junior middle school "counts， ...”

In any art class or group， some people would exclaim at the beginning： It seems that some people were able to paint once they were born， as if they had learned painting.

In fact， everyone has their own learning progress. In the process of learning and exercising， everyone’s state will change slowly.

After the members in a group （even such a virtual group of online courses） observe and know each other for some days， they will see everyone’s changes. At this time， they won’t ask whether someone has learned it， because that only represents the past. The changes in each painting reflect the student’s current energy input and painstaking efforts.

The maturity （not necessarily perfection） of painting is closely linked with degree of practice. Of course， everyone’s time and energy input are different. If one takes more time or gets into the state earlier， they will paint more and more smoothly and feel less frustrated.

When I was trying this online course， I found everyone’s state was different. However， as long as you keep painting and continue to work on it， you will definitely make some progress. You can feel this by yourself. The point is not who performs better than you， but that you should paint smoothly and enjoy the process.

When you arrive here and you have painted for many days， now you think：

I am a good painter who can get to the state at any time;

I’ve just begun， but I’ve experienced the happiness of painting;

I’ve tried several times， but I haven’t found the feeling yet;

I’ve not begun yet.

None of the above.

These are several states I listed out. Check which stage you are in. If you haven’t started yet， just try it ！ If you don’t try painting something， this book cannot be "helpful even after you read it.In a painting group I organize， a mother watched others’ works for a long time， and said， “I don’t know how to get started.” In fact， if a student never gets started， the teacher cannot teach them， and any advice cannot work. Therefore， you’d better compel yourself to get started！

If you haven’t found the feeling after trying several times， it could be a little difficult. Perhaps that’s because you don’t have enough time and energy due to family and work. Time is a perfect excuse for people. This problem should be overcome by yourself.

Another reason is that you haven’t exercised enough. A mother， who learned traditional Chinese painting from me， joined me in copying a model of calligraphy for beginners. She asked， “Ms. Dai， I’ve finished the copy once. What should I copy next？” I showed her the photos of my copies of calligraphy， which had been exercised innumerable times. Then she said， “I understand.”Time won’t disappoint you. Everything that seems romantic requires invisible efforts. Just try again to find the feeling！

If you can find the feeling after trying several times， keep doing it until the feeling really becomes yours， stays with you， and never fades away. When you focus on painting， please pay attention to your state.

Let’s look back at the core issues in the first two chapters about lines and “looking”. If you can draw lines with confidence， you are good and perfect. Similarly， you love your children no matter how they look. What you see are not photos but something like short-term memory. Then， you overlay the painting with your feelings and experiences. Therefore， it is a continuous process. If you keep doing this， there will be fewer conceptual and stick figure lines.

Please never be impatient. I’ve been in contact with many mothers who learned art from scratch. It is very common that they lacked confidence at the beginning. Because they kept thinking， “I can’t do it”， “I can’t paint well”， “I have no talent”， or “I’ve never learned it before”. These thoughts would hinder them and they couldn’t get started. Some students couldn’t achieve their ideal results after trying several times and believed “I can’t do it.”

Please be confident and avoid those negative thoughts that consume you. Continue painting with determination. State is very important. Only after overcoming this， can you really begin to paint. After shaking off your burdens， you can move forward easily.