The joy of effort

What is it called when you see something and then see it everywhere?

It's the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, also known as frequency illusion and frequency bias. It is the phenomenon in which something you saw for the first time seems to be suddenly everywhere.

Apparently it all started in the comments section of a Minnesota newspaper in 1994. A commenter talked about the Baader-Meinhof group, which was a West German terrorist organization, and within hours, he saw another reference to the group. Hence, the term was coined as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.

It's happened to me (I'm sure you can think of examples too):

• My first car was a 1963 VW Beetle, and I remember the streets being FULL of beetles in 1988!

• A friend told me about the artist, Hundertwasser, and, you guessed it... everywhere!

• And this week? I've noticed MANY discussions of a concept that I think is 'simple vs effort'.

In our busy, overstimulated lives, the idea of something taking a bit more time can seem just too much.

Things I used to do regularly, like cooking a family meal, I now do a lot less often because my kids are older and are often at work of an evening. So 'making a meal' is now more of an effort. I have to stop myself and remember it's worth it for so many reasons.

When it comes to art, like so many things, we're often looking for the quick way - the easy techniques and the simplest compositions.

We tend to think that as 'beginners', we can only do the simple things so that's all we attempt. And I totally get that. The vast majority of my classes are designed for beginners.

This month's Online Paint Along is 'The Shopping List'

This painting was the first I designed to show that with a little more effort, and the learning even a 'beginner' can get from my style of online/video art class, you can create a very special painting.

I wasn't limited by what could be learned in one, group, 'paint 'n' sip' style session.

I'm so proud of it and the student work so far is GLORIOUS!

Elyse Myers talks about being born with the 'How hard could it be gene', and I think that's a great way of looking at it.

Especially when it comes to art. Just go slowly. And thoughtfully.

Sink into making a bit more of an effort. There's so much learning to be had.

Step by step. Bite by bite. Eat the elephant.

OK. Enough analogies.

I hope that this week you allow yourself the discomfort of learning and the grace and excitement of making an effort. Things might not always work out, but with the benefit of Baaider-Meinhof, it's likely you'll notice even more opportunities to go the extra mile come your way.