choreographing art

So many times I find myself saying, "Painting is like life..."

I had this realization again the other day as I was meticulously drawing an image on canvas. My artist friend next door had just shown me her new painting - a figurative expression on canvas that she completed in two or three hours. I was feeling a little envious as I went back to my drawing (I'd been working on it for a week!) - But as I worked and got back into my drawing, I thought about how much I love what I do. I love my own unique creative process.

I like a challenge. I need a challenge. A challenge keeps me focussed and engaged... otherwise I feel bored and a little impatient. 

Each painting begins with an overall vision that I create first in my mind and then map out onto canvas... It can be a long process. It can take months for a large canvas from beginning to end as I work through my step-by-step process.

I can compare it with dancing. There are many ways to dance. We can dance purely free-style, expressing through our bodies in the moment, or we can dance a choreographed sequence that is a much longer process to create. Both are expressions.

My paintings are choreographed works of art. For me this is a deeper process and involves much more of me. But it brings me so much satisfaction. 

So as in painting, as in life... I realized I'm a choreographer (and yes, I do love ballroom dancing).

What is your expression? What is your process?