It is virtually impossible for the beginner to render a replica of a mental image, and so the process becomes tight. I try to help people approach painting as tactile and movement-based. We deemphasize the 'visual' dimension at first, to avoid concentrating too much attention in the controlling mind. The same thing applies in the other arts. Nothing happens in the creation of a poem until the person starts to write.
Ideas emerge from the movement of the hands and their interaction with the mind.
Soul sympathizes with soul.