There is a moment that plein air painters know well, when you arrive at a location, look around, and suddenly feel like you've forgotten how to paint. The light is shifting, the wind is doing its thing, and every brushstroke feels like a potential mistake.
This is the confidence gap.
And it's completely normal.
Plein air painting asks a lot of us: quick decisions, bold simplification, and the courage to make marks without the comforts of a quiet studio. Most of us don't struggle with lack of ability, we struggle with belief. In ourselves, in the process, in the idea that the first 20 minutes of chaos are worth pushing through.
Over the years, I've noticed something: when painters step into a workshop environment, the confidence gap becomes smaller, softer and easier to cross.
Here's why I think that is:
1. You stop painting alone.
There's something stabilising about being surrounded by other people also wrestling with shadows that won't stay put and trees that keep looking wrong. Shared struggle makes everything a bit funnier and far less intimidating.
2. You paint more decisively
With gentle guidance and limited window of painting time, most people start making quicker choices. Those choices build momentum, and momentum builds confidence.
3. You learn to trust your eye
Workshops give you a safe space to make mistakes and try again. Almost every student has a moment where the scene suddenly makes sense to them, that click, and once that happens, they walk into the next session with a new level of certainly.
4. You realise it's not about perfection
It's about being present with the light, the shapes, the colours, and the place you're in. Some days the painting works beautifully; other days just the experience is worth the effort.
5. You carry the confidence home
That's the quiet magic of workshops. The confidence stays with you long after the easel is packed away.