4 Ways to fail at abstract art

​I tried to create an abstract art piece and failed miserably
 
I love abstract art. It is so mysterious. What is the artist trying to say? What is the piece saying to me? How do I feel about it? Do I feel anything? Is it attractive, beautiful, repulsive?
Harder to answer questions surface as well: is this good art? To be honest, it can be hard for me to tell. In general, I believe if you create something unique, as a one-off endeavour, it is art. Good art is something else entirely and evaluating the grade of art is both subjective and objective.
Some people will definitely disagree with that last statement. Feel free to leave a comment :)
 
The mystery of abstract art is very attractive to me. Naturally, I also want to appear mysterious (and hence glamourous and interesting) to my audience so I wanted to try to make an abstract piece of my own.
 
I started with an arbitrary canvas size and shape that I happened to have on hand. I didn't put much thought into it * (first problem).
I went through my existing acrylic paint and mixed a couple of colours that I liked. I picked contrasting colours, teal and pale red, white and black. I made some random squares on my canvas. I placed some next each other, some spaced apart, usually I apply paint carefully but these marks were pretty sloppy* (second problem) since I really didn't know how important this step would be.
I filled in a lot of the canvas with black and left some colour peeking through.
Next, I added some texture with an acrylic paste by Golden that I happened to have on hand. I was anxious to move to the next step after this and didn't let it completely dry* (third problem)…
I taped off one third of the canvas and on the other side I added white, circling some shapes and leaving others untouched, removed the tape and then I stepped back to look at it* (fourth problem)…
It was just hideous. I felt like I knew it would be from the first mark I laid down. The twisted feeling of dismay and frustration that manifested once I stepped back had been building throughout the (admittedly short) process.
 
Where did I go wrong?

1. I didn't put much thought into my materials. I picked a canvas for convenience's sake with no idea of the goal of my exercise.
2. I was sloppy in my mark making. Again, because I didn't have a goal. When I first started painting landscapes and portraits I started by copying techniques of artists whose work I admired. I took lessons to learn how to achieve specific outcomes. Just throwing paint onto canvas may work for some but that approach does not work for me and I ignored that truth.
3. I disrespected my materials by ignoring drying time and opacity.
4. I didn't step back and think about what I was doing until the very end and I rushed through it. I tried to be guided by instinct and my muse was nowhere to be found. Usually I am inspired by something when I paint -- a view from a window, a boat ride on a lake, a tree, unique light, or my own reference photos. With no inspiration and no goal this painting was destined for failure.

This painting was bad art. That doesn't mean it was a waste of time. I learned what abstract artists already know: abstract artistry is a skill that needs to be developed; abstract art may be separate from visually perceived objects or vistas in our world but it still requires inspiration to be meaningful. I have a lot to learn.
 
I do hope to develop the skill of abstract artistry and find a way to visually articulate the mystery of my world for others.
 
I just need to accept that failure is not optional. Failure has always been a part of my process and I will continue to find new ways to do it. As someone born to be bored, that sounds right up my alley.