Someone once said to me: at certain points in your painting career, you will be held back by a 'speedbump', a place where your work, your own curiousity, your own drive to figure things out, your strifing for new heights, will reach a limit. And you do not progress any further. No matter how hard you try, your skills hardly improve on your own effort. At those times it is passion for the art that will drive you to search for that one thing, that one push, that one persone, to go beyond your 'speedbump', and enter a world of new challenges, possibilities and learning.
I am (once again) at such a junction. After working my way up to finally be confident enough to participate in my first GD (as my start of the 'Major League' of painting events) where I earned a finalist pin, I feel that my skills could need that arse kicking to be able to advance to more serious painting events and single handedly learn from the best inspirations out there.