Some of my most commented-on social media posts are the ones where I post a video of me erasing a board. People feel sad and sometimes angry that I’m destroying all my hours of work. That’s a natural reaction, people feel like hard work should be preserved.

The truth is, I really enjoy erasing my boards for a variety of reasons and I think you can too, as long as you’re willing to change your perspective about it.

I understand the challenge that comes along with working so hard for so long on a piece of art that you really love. For me, the hardest thing in the world was erasing my portrait of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. I spent 16 hours creating it and I was so happy with how it looked. You could say it “really tied the room together”, but eventually, in order to keep creating, he had to disappear.

Once I erased him and I stood back and looked at my empty chalkboard wall, I instantaneously got SO EXCITED about starting a new piece and I was reminded of why I love erasing chalkboards so much.

If you’re struggling to erase your work, let me provide an alternative perspective about erasing.

It’s not destruction, it’s tidying up.

At its core, a piece of chalk is nothing more than compressed dust. When you’re creating a piece of chalk art, you’re simply organizing vast amounts of dust.

When you think about your work as just a bunch of dust, it’s a little easier to disconnect from it and see it as something that needs to be cleaned. What’s more is that when you erase your chalkboard wall, you’re giving it another layer of seasoning, ultimately improving the health of your chalkboard.

Sometimes, I like to think of it like hair. No matter how good a hair day I have or how much time I spend styling it, eventually, it needs to be washed and refreshed.

Erasing promotes progress.

As an artist I love chalk as a medium because it forces you to see your work as a temporary fixture. When you start the process knowing that it’s not going to be permanent, you tend to be less attached to it which makes you less critical of your own mistakes. Instead, you look at your work with an objective eye and can learn how to improve more quickly because your goal isn’t to make something that will last forever. Every design decision is less of a risk because it won’t be up for long and you have the freedom to explore new ideas and techniques. When you’re able to detach from your creations, you’re setting yourself up to be a better artist tomorrow than you are today.

Chalk doesn’t last forever anyway.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’m working out in public that I get asked if I’m going to apply a sealant or fixative to preserve my work. Depending on who is asking, I give a variety of answers but more often than not, I simply say that if I wanted to create work that lasted forever, I wouldn’t be a chalk artist.

Truth to tell, because chalk art is temporary, I think it makes it that much more appealing. Like, you better go see it while its there because tomorrow is promised to no piece of chalk art. I love that there’s a short window of enjoyment before it’s nothing more than a memory. If it were there forever, it wouldn’t be as magical.

It’s just art, it’s not that serious.

The number of crying emojis I get to my erasing videos is my absolute favorite. People wondering asking “HOW????” and “WHY???” is hilarious. I don’t cook meals so they’ll feed me for a lifetime and I don’t draw pictures so I can look at the same stupid design forever. It’s just art. it really doesn’t matter that much.

Ultimately, I’m just some gal who likes to draw pictures. My work isn’t ground breaking or thought provoking and in no way is it important enough to be in the world for eons of time. It’s just pictures that I draw. It really does not matter so stop taking yourself and your work so damn seriously. Erase the board and feel the liberation.

Does this help? Are you still struggling to erase your work? Tell me about it the comments - I want to know how I can help you get past these anxieties and become a better artist!