How I Accidentally Found My "Potential"

Confession: One time, when I was in grade school, I got my mom (who has enough creativity to flood the entire market!) to draw a picture of a unicorn for me. It was awesome. It had a unicorn. And it had purple in it. What more can you ask for (besides glitter)?

I was so excited about the picture that I took it to school with me and placed it in my Trapper Keeper. (In case you weren't alive during the late 80's/early 90's, the Trapper Keeper was my generation's iPad back then.) Then my art teacher Mrs. Shaw saw it, and said how good it was, and what a great artist I was. She was BOWLED OVER! Simply simmering with the excitement that there was someone in her art class who might have some potential. I didn't exactly correct her and tell her that my mom drew it. So of course, she called my mother and said she thought I had potential and would like to give me private lessons.

Crap.

It was time to become an artist---stat!

I remember the first lesson I was so excited. I had my fresh artists sketch pad, my kneaded erasers, and my charcoal pencils all ready to go. The only thing I didn't have was talent. But hey, I was 8 years old, and I had an awesome imagination. I figured I could wing it. All I needed was to draw something super awesome so I wouldn't get caught in this lie.

For my first lesson, she asked me to draw my hand. It probably looked like a one-dimensional Oompa Loompah hand. Red flags should have been going off at this time for her. Big ones.

But, she persisted. She taught me how to sketch, paint watercolor, pastels, acrylics, calligraphy...you name it. I was doing still-lifes, painting scenes from Swan Lake...I even painted a portrait of my baby brother. And I loved every second of it. I wasn't an artist when I started, but I became one with the proper nudging.

My mom has never heard this confession. Until now. Oops.

As I got into high school I had less time for art. I managed to pick up a pottery class, or I would doodle in History when I was supposed to be taking notes. And after college I took up jewelry-making, which kind of stuck around even now.
But I haven't painted in a long, long, long time.

Until now.

A local business called Wine & Design asked me to sit in on one of their sessions and to check them out. As I understand it, they will sketch out a painting on canvas, and then you follow along with the group as you are walked through painting it...kind of like a very sophisticated Paint-By-Numbers. This is a good thing for me, since I haven't sketched in probably over a decade and am more than a little rusty. I'll let them handle the design of it, and then I'll fill in the blanks with the paint. So exciting!

Some people deal with stress by working out.
Some people deal with stress by eating.
Some people deal with stress by diving into creative outlets.

I happen to do the last two on that list. And Wine & Design satisfies both of those urges for me, as you can bring your own food and drink to the session with you.

Once I go I will have to check back in and show you my masterpiece. And since I'm a Baltimore-girl deep down in my soul still, I chose to paint a crab (see below for an example).

I'm sure mine will look more like THIS...

...But I will have so much fun doing it!

If you want to join me on this creative adventure, all you have to do is register for the event on Nov. 18th. I'll be there. And I'm thinking I might do my hair in a 'fro in honor of Bob Ross that night. Thoughts?

Cellulite and Tell You Right,

Andy