Do it

“Things won are done, joy’s soul lies in the doing.” ― William Shakespeare

The belief that I’m not artistic is as old as me. I loved my art classes in school but the pathetic stuff I produced convinced me that I am made for more useful subjects.

It’s Day 25 of the lockdown. A friend had discussed an Insta art experience a couple of days ago. A live hour-long painting session at 5:00 p.m. daily.

I looked at my stubby fingers and shook it off. No way. I can’t draw and I definitely cannot paint.

My friend did not give up. The next day she shared her work on the group again. Her painting for that day. As luck would have it, it was an illustrated cocktail. A beautifully drawn Mojito. Detailed with lime garnish, ice cubes and floating mint leaves.

The dormant artist in me remembered to tune in for the next session. The subject for the day was ‘Butterflies’. I watched the entire hour as she drew, painted and outlined the beautiful creations. Her instructions were simple. Her demeanour was as soothing as her art. I was sold.

So, today I waited with my paper & pencil, my watercolours & brushes.

“Let’s do this!”

“How bad can I be!”

She began punctually at 5:00 p.m. The topic was Food Illustrations. She drew a tomato, an apple and a plum, explaining how all of them are round but a few dents drawn in the circle differentiate them. Then came the bell pepper and peach where it was important to have the mid oval lines. Followed by a lemon and an orange. These were the most interesting to paint as the yellow of the lemon had to have the green tints and the orange of the orange had to be blended with the lighter yellow. I followed all her instructions diligently.

The hour felt like five minutes. Mixing the paint, painting the fruits, adding the water to lighten the colours, rubbing the brush vigorously on my little rag between colour changes. The hour was lost in the feeling, listening, trusting.

I was so happy that I did not judge the outcome on my paper. It didn’t matter. I had let go. I had allowed myself to test my boundaries. I had allowed myself to learn a new skill. To do something I had never done before.