I have a bucket list of big stuff I want to accomplish before I die. I also have a beach pail list of things I'd like to accomplish in my immediate future. The main difference between these two lists is money. My bucket list items are way more expensive than my beach pail items. This year I am trying to work my way through the beach pail and just put myself out there trying new things. I must say I am doing well so far.
Over the past few years I've seen "sip and paint" classes offered through living social or groupon and wanted to try one. I am NOT an artist, nor do I play one on TV. Seriously, my artistic ability usually ends with sticks figures and carefully placed geometric shapes attempting to resemble houses or landscapes. I'm not exaggerating, I am the last person to be picked at pictionary if you've ever played with me before. BUT...I can follow directions, and last night was a fine example of that.
I found the Boise Creative Center on Living Social and made a spur of the moment decision to buy their offer. They hold class on Friday nights at 7pm and last about 3 hrs. The idea is to bring a beverage of your choice and enjoy time with friends while following along step by step painting instructions from the director of the center, Alex Vega. I called to see if just by chance there was an opening since I purchased it on a Friday. The gentleman on the phone was so helpful and welcoming. He was excited I was attending (I called around 5pm?) and said he'd see me soon. I arrived and was surprised to see some 11-12 year old kids were there to paint too! There was also a mother/daughter pair, double dates, married couples and a single person (me). He had two ladies helping him (I don't remember their names) pass out supplies, giving encouragement and/or suggestions and refilling our paint pallets. The whole atmosphere was incredibly warm and comfortable.
I was surprised by the process of how we got to the finished piece. My plan was to take photos step by step and document my artistic journey. But from blank canvas to the initial drying phase there was no time! We did the first yellow area, followed by making some orange and going around that, then a deeper red/purple, then blending... the white canvas just disappeared so quickly. Then we waited for it to dry on the drying table. Heat was applied from above which sped up the process. When it was time for the layering, I found myself going back and adding more color, covering up mistakes, blending more colors, and trying to make it "better". Then another drying process with heat applied. The black trees were the final step. These we were told not to think about...just go for it. Be Bold. One line at a time, they suddenly started coming together.
At the end some people looked at their canvases and made statements like "that's it?" and "what else are we painting?". I remember looking at mine with a slightly smug sense of satisfaction. See, earlier in the evening, I asked alex if he had a picture of what we were painting. He did, so I took a quick snapshot of it. I found that the students that were questioning the outcome of their paintings didn't have a good idea of what the finished piece was going to look like. I waited til the end and pulled up the picture again and added more branches to mine to resemble the original one more closely. I was pleased. I created something that will hang on one of my walls and although it will never be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, to me it is priceless.
My life is like last night. So is yours. We all start out a blank canvas. We go through periods where it just feels like we are filling it up and there's no time to enjoy the process. Then the heat gets applied. We are under fire, under pressure, but we get stronger. We get opportunities to fine tune ourselves, add more layers, make the edges softer. Then the fire begins again. More strengthening. And finally, to get to the parts that really make you who you are, you just have to Be Bold. Jump in and commit to something. Be Brave. When you reflect on yourself from a distance, what you've made with your life is beautiful. Sure, if you examine it under a microscope, you'll see the flaws, the areas you've strayed on the canvas. But the big picture? It's pretty darn amazing and you are truly one of a kind
Don't be the one at the end of class questioning if there's more. Get an idea of what you want your masterpiece to be like, then do the work to get closer with each brush stroke.
My beach pail has one less thing in it, so it's time to refill. I hope you all get a chance to experience this.
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