Try going outside your comfort zone to help you break out of the same ol’ routine.
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” ~ Georgia O’Keefe
This past weekend a few friends and I unleashed our inner artists at a local art studio. Silver Tree Visual Arts, which is where my kids have taken art classes since they were old enough to hold a crayon, features Saturday evening “Drinks with the Masters.”
The instructor teaches you about a master artist (we learned about Georgia O’Keefe). You are then commissioned to try and emulate one of the artist’s paintings, all whilst enjoying your favorite snacks and wine.
There’s a certain sense of vulnerability that goes along with creating a personal masterpiece in two hours when you have no idea what you are doing. (I suspect that is why you are invited to bring wine!)
First, you have to let go of the word “masterpiece.” For those of us who thrive on rough drafts, knowing we can burn what doesn’t work without anyone being the wiser, the thought of committing paint to canvas is terrifying! “What?! There’s no erasing!”
Even surrounded by good friends, I found the experience somewhat unsettling. And that was really the point of the evening: To do something that pushed us out of our comfort zones, challenged a different part of our brains, and down-shifted thinking to the present moment. Meditation in motion.
While there’s plenty of creativity, talent and brains to go around with this group of ladies, none of us are practicing artists. Nevertheless, what each of my friends created was astounding. The rich colors and the different takes on O’Keefe’s art was nothing short of beautiful. Check out the results of our evening below.
Many of us grow into adulthood having internalized the “you are not an artist” label. This exercise demanded that we sweep out the inner harpy that finds pleasure in tormenting us with whispered judgments. We learned to play again and the opportunity to flex a different side of our brains was fun and energizing.
Everyone was very gracious toward each other. My favorite comment I received was: “I liked all of the colors you used.” I laughed, recalling the many times I’ve made the same statement to my kids when I didn’t know what they painted!
And you know, it didn’t matter what we painted. For me personally, the outing served to unwind some of my frustrations in other areas of my life by tapping a different part of my creativity without requiring that I take it seriously.
Do you need to dust out the cobwebs of your own day-to-day routine? Discover more fun Moms’ Night Out ideas in my article “11 Playdates Just for Moms” in the November issue of Calgary’s Child.
What is something new that you tried with friends recently?
Beautiful paintings. I have not done this in ages. Loved it when a group did but was surprised by the number of women who said no as they were so intimidated about being artistic.
Thanks, Sue. I think as parents (or maybe just as adults) many of us spend so much time trying to look like we’re in control of everything that we don’t give ourselves permission to participate in an activity just because it’s fun and not because we’re good at it. It is surprising how many of us are scared to try something new out of fear of looking stupid. But, when you approach a new experience as an opportunity to play, it’s strangely liberating! Hopefully, some of those women will change their minds and give something like this a try! 🙂