When I was a young girl, I used to think that I had the potential to be an artist. I might still have the potential to be an artist, but I'm too busy doing other things to find out.
When I was about 12 years old, I answered an ad in a magazine for an art school. The school sent me a booklet with some tests that would show my artistic ability. I performed all of the tests and sent them back. A few weeks later, a school representative came to the house.
He confirmed that I had artistic ability and told my mother so. He said that, since I was a junior high student, I could take courses by mail. Alas, my mother said that was not a possibility, as she was a single mother and was on a tight household budget.
My disappointment didn't last long. After all, I had an art class in school, where I could use my talents. And, through the years, my interest in expressing myself artistically on paper or canvas faded. That's when I started to get involved in those other things that were keeping me busy.
Fast forward to November, when I was with some like-minded people at a spiritual expo. A person there suggested that I try expressing myself through art. Well, I am always (well, almost always) willing to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. Or, maybe I should say new again.
I tried some adult coloring books, just to get started. That was much too complicated for me. All of those lines and squiggles made it too hard for me to stay inside the lines. Coloring one color over the whole design seemed like cheating.
Besides, I just couldn't find the proper tools for coloring. Colored pencils just weren't bright enough. Colored markers made too broad a stroke. And crayons are now made so ultra-clean and washable that they don't make much of a mark.
When the senior center offered a painting class, I signed up. I thought I had nothing to lose. After all, the price was right and I didn't have to bring my own materials.
When I arrived at the class, I saw about 20 people there. Were they all artists, or were they, like me, there to express themselves through art? It didn't matter. I was anxious to get started.
I had my doubts if I could paint the picture that was being shown. My doubts faded when I was handed my canvas with the picture drawn in pencil. All we had to do was follow our leader's instructions for filling in the blanks.
As you can imagine, when 20 adults get together on a project, anything can happen. Although no major incidents occurred, there were plenty of humorous remarks, lots of spills, and some mistakes that needed to be fixed.
Those who were accustomed to going to sip 'n paints said they did no better painting when sober. When a person got outside the lines or didn't get the color just right, she chalked it up to originality.
The kibitzing was part of the experience. Perhaps, the interaction with others ended up being shown on canvas.
Everybody's painting looked good when the class was finished. Each one was unique and each one was beautiful--even mine. Maybe I did have the potential to be an artist.
I think everybody has the potential to do a lot of things. I think they just need to step outside their comfort zone and try.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com
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