I took up watercolor painting this year without any painting experience, and I'm having a blast. I began with cheap paint and brushes despite hearing that profe

I took up watercolor painting this year without any painting experience, and I'm having a blast. I began with cheap paint and brushes despite hearing that professional quality tools are better. Now I'm gradually buying better supplies. As a result, there's two points of value I feel I gained through this method: 1. I was able to start with very low cost, and could fearlessly practice without the regret of wasting expensive product. (With that said, I acknowledge that watercolor painting is already one of the least expensive ways to paint) 2. As I upgrade my paints and brushes, I'm learning why professional tools are better. There are pretty clear differences between cheap and expensive paint, but without experiencing both, one can't really evaluate their value. I think it's really a matter of setting expectations. If one starts by suffering to achieve perfection, they'll probably quit. I think they'd better serve themselves by finding joy in the act itself, and letting that feeling drive improvement. Even masters fail to achieve true perfection from time to time.