Is it the Journey or the Destination?

When creating any work of art, I have a process I go through to make it the best I can. To me, the journey is much more important, as it makes the destination, or end piece that much sweeter. Knowing that you put hours into research and studying before you complete a piece is satisfactory to me, as it really brings life to my art. For example:

This piece is one of my personal favorites. During this piece I researched not only flowers, but the colors and their meanings. I found that warm colors inspire a brighter and more lively feel to a piece, and I wanted to incorporate this in an otherwise sad piece. The colors contrast heavily with her grey skin, showing a sort of inner emptiness. This is used to tell a story, as those who may not know this character of mine, may assume that she surrounds herself with beautiful things to make herself feel better but to no alias due to the somber expression I also incorporated.

In my research i used found how fewer brushstrokes versus tighter and smaller strokes can bring attention to certain details, such as in the face.