How do I become a better painter?

On my journey to become a better painter I have done a lot to try to get there. Take for example the many painting courses I have followed. Unfortunately, they always brought less than expected. You often receive little or no instructions and it mainly revolves around criticism afterwards. Standing in a circle, you can look at each other's work and the instructor tells you what he or she thinks about it. Unfortunately, that method doesn't make you any better. It’s more seen like a relaxing hobby and you are not supposed to take it that seriously. I think therefore you need a proper art school but sadly thats too time consuming for me.

At the end I think painting is not about the end result but about the path to get there. Instructions help with this, as everyone knows who lost his way and was helped back on the right route by someone else through directions.

So what makes you a better painter? Of course, that's the whole journey there. By taking courses you meet other people with different techniques from which you always learn something. But the most important thing is just paint a lot, don't worry about the end result but enjoy the creative process. Most painters repeatedly refer to the “10 000-hour rule,” asserting that the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing for at least 10 000 hours. Ultimately, painting is something you have to learn, just as it was a craft in the past. If you are guided in the right direction through courses, reading about it, watching online instructions and many things more, you will ultimately become a better painter.

Talent is great, but ultimately committing to what you want to achieve is the way to improvement.

So many hours to come.