The intent of enjoyment

I find myself having some expectations of how my art should look or be. I don't argue with it; I just refocus my intent back to enjoying what I am doing. Yesterday, I noticed the satisfaction of adding warm yellows and greens to my painting of the red/pink/purple poppies. And a sense of excitement when I added darker greens to the background. I reflected on how I seem to need or want a lot of color in my paintings. My inner critic says I'm not making my paintings look realistic enough. But I feel joy painting in a way to capture the imagination; so for now, that is what I will do. I am playing with paint and color, to see how it feels, and how I like it. I know when I'm moving in the right direction with my painting because it's fun!