I was working on this yesterday and got to the point where all I could see was a big blob of yellow. It made no sense. I couldn't tell one part of the flower from the other.

At times like these I remember a drawing class I took. There was a member of the class who everyone considered to be the "best" artist. (That's a whole different topic.) One day when everyone was quietly zoned into their work he let out a blood-curdling scream. He said he wanted to take a knife and shred his drawing. Everyone gasped. We all thought it was good enough as it was. He didn't even need to keep working on it. What in the world could he be unhappy about? He confessed that he regularly shredded canvases when he got so frustrated in the process and couldn't make the images do what he wanted.

I didn't quite feel like taking a knife to my canvas, although I admit I have reached that point before, but I did know it was time to walk away. Before long I came back with the camera to document my progress for the day and when I looked at the canvas voila! There was a daffodil! Mind you, I am absolutely not finished with it. But it's amazing how much perspective we can gain on our problems when we are smart enough to walk away for a while, let them simmer, let ourselves cool down, and them come back with new eyes.