Learning and skills development are aided by the establishment of structure. Formal education provides a learning plan with structure and for many individuals this is critically important. Yet for most adult learners, formal education is not always available or practical. In my case, art school really isn’t practical for a number of personal reasons. That being the case, it is important that I develop my own structured development plan.

A development plan, structured or otherwise, is only effective if it is diligently followed. Procrastination and distraction are natural  obstacles to a self directed path of development. Setting reasonable objectives, which include reasonable milestones, is critical. Without deadlines it is almost impossible to effectively achieve results. Coming up with an approach to artificial deadlines is a real challenge.

Fear of failure can also be a real obstacle. Particularly if you are like me and have a history of multiple prior failures with regard to watercolor painting. It is easy to find yourself wondering ” is this next effort just going to be another disappointment like my last attempt? ” The best thing to do when you feel that way is to just remind yourself that persistence is the path to success. If you quit, you are guaranteed to fail. No matter what, eventual success can only be achieved by continuing to try and continual practice is your best path forward.