Painting Loves Me? It Loves Me Not

How many middle-aged lumps do you know? Those tired, overwhelmed, and overscheduled people who stay in their own grooves, (or ruts, depending how you see it)? I mean, who has the luxury to branch out and learn a new skill? Which is kind of crazy--because we impress upon our youth the importance of learning and trying new things like, all of the time…so why not heed that advice? Let’s take to heart Mahatma Gandhi’s words-- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I know I push off many personal things for sake of time, commitment, and money, but even those short, cheap bursts of education can teach us lessons. And that’s healthy.

This past week some friends and I uncorked our enthusiasm for trying one of those painting with wine classes. For two mere hours we committed to recreate an acrylic masterpiece on canvas, all while sharing in the camaraderie of other hopeful ladies. It looked simple enough—besides, tons of people have been facebooking their newfound art skills, why couldn’t we? Surely I could follow some teacher’s lead and easily transform some bright brushstrokes into flowers.

Let me break down what I observed:

1—We are our own worse critics. Most of the women at my table, ages ranging from 35-75, kept saying how horrible they were, how poorly their flowers turned out. Is self-deprecation just a way to bond with others? Do we truly feel we are talentless? Or does learning how to paint take longer than minutes? (See #2).

2—Painting, while fun to get in touch with the 5 year-old in me, is difficult. Special props to those artist masters out there—I get why people go to art school.

3— Acquiring a new skill can be challenging and very humbling--even when the stakes aren’t high. We should remember that feeling when watching children learn.

4—Connect with others when learning something new. We belly achingly laughed so hard at ourselves throughout the painting process. A definite kinship naturally unfolds.

5—In life there are always people better and worse than you.

6—Wine makes everything better. But easels should have drink holders.

The next morning I laughed when my two year-old son pointed to my painting and asked, “What ‘dat?”

Even though I undertook an undemanding exercise in painting I stared at my flowers and back at my son. His question meant so much more than the obvious. “You mean those gerbera daisies? An attempt to be an artist? A humbling reminder that we should stretch ourselves? A life learning lesson?”

Yup, what I discovered? Learning a new skill is not just about the end product—that trite meaning of the journey being more important than the destination. But it stands true. My painting won’t be sold on etsy.com any time soon, but that’s not why I did it—and not why I encourage you to step out of your groove to live and learn something new.