Last weekend, my husband and I went to a paint bar for our date night. I had never previously been and wasn't sure what to expect. I am aware that the concept of painting along is not new, before they have places for it there was always Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting on PBS. To be perfectly honest, I did not know who Bob Ross was until a year ago when my husband received a Bob Ross Chia Pet. That worked surprisingly well as you can see below. Clearly my knowledge of pop culture is not my greatest strength. I was excited to go and spend an afternoon painting, because I assumed it would be a fun excursion. This was true, but what I did not expect was how intense I would get about the painting in general and how hard it is to add new to something you already enjoy. This painting started with the background, which seemed like a natural place to start. Adding some of these layers were simpler for me than others, but what I struggled the most with was the black trees in the front. The reality is I knew once we got to using the black paint that whatever I put on the canvas was here to stay and would ultimately cover some of the work I had done before. There is something to be said for the ability to willingly forge ahead when you are not sure how your actions will destroy what you have previously done. Life reflected back to me in the creation of art. In life I do tend to forge ahead, trusting that I can always begin again, but in the painting it felt more permanent. The reminder of what had been was present in a way it does not feel present to me in daily life. I am a forward thinking person and I struggle to be present, but I am not often wistful for the past. I enjoy reminiscing, and remembering fun events, but I do not long for it to be now. In painting I was confronted with this idea in a very visceral way. We are a result of our choices, and we can always choose differently, but we still have made those choices. Honestly, when it comes to life I can accept this, but painting was much more of a struggle. One of the things I quickly realized is that a painting is a composite of many parts, I can appreciate one and dislike another. Finding a way to work on the parts that I did not initially enjoy was a challenge. I feared doing too much and not doing enough. I did not have the skill or understanding to know how to improve on the parts I felt did not meet my standards. By the end of the experience I felt my painting was passable and interesting enough even if not how I originally intended. Two lessons emerged from this experience. The first was the fact that my husband is patient and will do anything in his power to help me, even if he is not an expert. When I would get frustrated I would ask for his help and I found he was able to consider what was going on and add productive feedback, and also provide encouragement for me to keep going. I take it for granted what a great partner he is at times and it is moments like this I am quite glad that we are together. I find him to be able to be my better half and he knows what I need even when I sometimes struggle to see it for myself. The second lesson I realized was the fact that I need to get out of my comfort zone more. Doing things that push me helps me to create vivid memories and helps to stretch what I think I am capable of or what I think I can do. I love my routines and my habits, in fact I am considering sharing a few blog posts about some of them if ya'll are interested, but having something novel is a worthwhile endeavor too. As this weekend approaches, I encourage you to get out and explore, try something new and see where it leads you.
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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