But there's something that I haven't done in a long time which I miss so much that I've been afraid to start it again.
Paint.
I went to undergrad and grad school for art. I used to have a perpetual line of Pthalo Blue under my thumb nails. I used to draw on anything that would stay still for long enough.
And then, after grad school, I stopped. Hard to say why exactly, except that it felt like I didn't know what to say with art or how to say it. Years passed and I sort of lost my 'hand' That's what happens if you don't keep active. It's a little like what happens to your writing if you don't read, your language gets rusty.
In the last few years I've been helping out at my daughter's school on various projects, like painting a mural for International Fair Costa Rica or Brazil or for the school play (guess who's painting the Great Wall of China for MULAN this spring!) It got my art sense twitching until, right before the new year, I bought myself paints. Brushes. Linseed oil. Sketching pencils. Mini canvases.
I will try to paint at least once a week - and I will just do it without over thinking about it. Without wondering if it was any good or if it *meant* anything. Just for the joy of it.
Here's what I've done so far in January
Better than a diet or giving up trashy TV (heaven forfend!) This New Year's Resolution is guaranteed to make me happy and more creative. What's your (creative) new year's resolution?
