How do I paint without a plan if I have an outcome in mind?

Making a painting or any kind of art is like a long walk home from school when you were a child. You know the endpoint, the final destination, but much of the value in your day was found along the way. You never know what you will find. Being more open and attentive to what your art is becoming in the moment you are making it, involves curiosity and intuition. Both of these are valuable to your process. Of course, it’s fine if you have a desired outcome. But often that outcome will be richer if the process leading up to it is more circuitous, slightly longer, instead of short and direct. Speed, accuracy, and efficiency, are encouraged in almost every aspect of our daily lives. The fact that our art making can veer a little off this course can be extremely refreshing and for many, one of the primary motivations in art making.