You know that joke about a dog and a cat, where you get to see the thoughts of the cat and dog, as time goes by? Dog’s journal entry and cat’s? And the cat’s begins with “Day 938 of my captivity…”
As this pandemic goes on…I start to feel more like the cat… My toddler is quite happy to build forts and play cars, day in and day out…but man, I got bored of that after the first week!
Even though there’s nothing much time left in a day after dealing with the various toddler demands, art still feels good.
I sat down to color with my kid, and dutifully colored his pictures with numbers and objects to count. And then I flipped the page over. It’s been MONTHS since I tried to draw anything. I wasn’t even sure I still could!
If that sounds ridiculous, let me back up a bit. I was one of those people who swore up and down that they were utterly incapable of drawing. Not people, not anything. My attempts didn’t even LOOK human. So I stopped trying. I don’t like failing.
Earlier last year I decided if I was going to be at home, I should at least learn to do something. I started off painting with watercolors, cuz even watercolors look good if you just make a mess! But I soon got tired of the limitations when I saw so many people who COULD draw. I signed up for some art classes with Karen Campbell, and I amazed even myself. I COULD actually draw! Who knew?!
Anyhow…all this to say… it doesn’t matter when (when it REALLY should have been bedtime), where (sitting on the floor at the coffee table), or with what supplies (back of a printed counting sheet and a couple crayons)… Doing art just feels good. And if you give yourself permission to put ANYTHING on the page, you might just be able to let some circling thoughts free 🙂
