Last month, I took the first step on one of my 50-List items: learn how to draw. I signed up for a beginner drawing class at The Art Center School and Galleries in Mechanicsburg, PA as Step 1. I highly recommend that class if you’re in the Central PA area, btw. Go forth and create -and support your local art schools and artists, please.
I’ve never been a good, or even a halfway decent artist, but I’ve always loved art – watercolors in particular. I’m a super white girl cliché, perhaps, but Monet makes me swoon. The Met, the Philly Art Museum, the Barnes Foundation, all overwhelm me in the best possible ways. I leave them wrecked with beauty and a full heart and soul.
But I’m bad at drawing, y’all. Really bad. For example, in Botany Lab Sophomore year of college, we had to draw a pea plant (I think?). My professor looked at my effort and just said, “nice try, Jen” and walked away. Painful.
Still – I plan to travel A LOT over the rest of my years here on earth – and I want to be able to capture what I’m seeing, not just with my words, but with an image of how a scene feels to me. I imagine sketching on my travels to punctuate and accentuate my words and give myself a visual reminder of what I’ve experienced.
And so, instead of just trying it, I wanted to find a class for my perfectionist ass. I fully anticipated being nervous and halting and extra awkward and weird. I was those last three things, of course, but I wasn’t nervous at all, much to my disbelief.
I loved it! And I didn’t want to be perfect! I had no interest in spending hours on a sketch trying to make it look perfect. I wanted to draw fast and capture the idea of something, not create a perfect rendition (which is good because I never could…).
And I think that’s the key. I knew that I wouldn’t be good and so I was entirely fine with trying it and being terrible. Potentially even hearing “nice try, Jen” again. Damn – that was freeing.
But it’s also super fun. I loved being able to create. And I’m still not good (not even remotely), but I love the creativity – it makes me smile and look at the world a little differently. So, I bought myself some sketchbooks and watercolor pencils and I’ll play around with them this year. And I’ll probably take a watercolor class at the Art Center, but I’m in no rush.
So, friends, do the thing that you’ve been wanting to try and suspend all expectations for yourself. It’s some good madness growth and I’m here for it.
