The Need-Not Artist ™ A is for ALLOW

ALLOW.

What if allowing was your greatest technique?

Not just allowing the paint to spill, the colors to blur, the lines to wander—but allowing yourself to be in the room. Too often, we approach art with the mindset of control: What should I make? Will it be good enough? But real technique grows in the quiet moments when you stop gripping and start listening. Allowing creates a current. It invites play, welcomes imperfection, and makes space for beauty to arrive in ways you didn’t plan. It’s not passive—it’s potent. In every stroke, it says: You’re safe to explore here.

As I wrote in The Need-Not Artist:"I thought I needed to be careful, focused, and deliberate, but what I really needed was to be carefree, relaxed, and casual... Reacting with urgency removed all thought and allowed possibility to show up."Let that be your reminder. Technique is not a cage—it’s a doorway. Let your hand move. Let the mess come. Let the soul speak. Allow, and the art will find you.