Don’t let paralysis overcome you. Decide on a theme and a design. Draw it out with pencil or chalk and then start painting. Force yourself to paint a little each day, even if it’s one branch on a tree or small area of grass. Before you know it you’ll be done with the painting – moving onto your next one. Painting is hard. It’s a job! To some it’s a hobby, but to some of us it’s more than that. We are trying to pay bills with it, so it’s a job! Don’t let what others say or don’t say discourage you from continuing. You’ll level up in skill if you just stick to it! Also, you don’t have to do oils. You can eventually make great paintings using acrylics. Some artists use oil and some use acrylics and everyone has their opinions about what they like and don’t like about each, but truth be told, oils were used by the original painters (I don’t like using the term “Masters”), such as Monet and Van Gogh, so its kind of hard for many to break that tradition. Acrylic paints are relatively new in the grand scheme of things. I personally like acrylic paints because the thinning medium to be used is water and my water is free, because I have a well. I’m truly a struggling artist, so not having to purchase thinning medium like you have to with oils is a bonus! And even if you don’t have a well, water is pretty easy to come by! – so far! Also, I prefer my paint to dry quicker! I don’t have time to wait a couple of days to move on to the next step in my painting. I’ve heard some artists say they prefer oil because they can build it up creating more depth. To this I say if you are a good enough painter, you should be able to create that depth with your hues and techniques!
Peace and love to you and yours!