paint

 

so my friend fen and i have decided that both of us suffer from seasonal affective disorder. (or SAD) we have had many conversations about it, but the struggle is real. we are both much moodier and have little energy in the winter. i am just about at a point that when the weatherman says there is going to be a 100% chance of snow...i am 100% sure i'm going to swan dive over the bay bridge. fen and i hang out weekly and talk daily, and the topic has definitely been on the top of our list lately. i don't think we are the only ones that are truly sick of winter and it's repercussions, because it seems like everyone in the world is over it. also, when running on the treadmill rather than outside, i want to slam both fists into it as i am working out. since we self-diagnosed the SAD, we also came up with our own remedy to the situation. what a better way to break through the winter blues, then to paint a picture of the beach!? painting is not our forte, but when we heard about paint nite and what it entailed we were all for it. their motto is "drink creatively." i mean, alcoholic beverages and the use of fine motor skills clearly go hand in hand. right? (for the love of...) anyway, we signed up a month ago and the day finally came on friday. both of us were nervous, excited, and a little bit scared. at one point during the day, she texted me and said she was going to throw up. (hah!)

so when we walked in the restaurant where this was taking place, we immediately ordered a drink. (well done.) upon discussion, we decided to both stick to beer because we really didn't want to muck up our motor skills. although wine is like one of my most favorite things, beer is a better option if i don't want to blackout. (just being honest.) so with beer in hand, we headed to the back of the bar where they had everything set up. the lady took our names and handed us an apron. we sat down in front of a blank canvas and paper plates that had only the primary colors squirted on it. fen looked at me and said, well i guess it's not a paint by number!? (no it is not.) i had an 'oh shit' moment because i thought, how the hell are we going to make the picture that was displayed with little or no artistic ability? (what. were. we. thinking.) here's the thing...whenever i am going to use paint in my classroom with the kids, i usually get everything prepared at the beginning of the day and put it on my desk. when the kids walk in in the morning and see the paint, they get super pumped. it doesn't take much with five year olds, but my god they love to paint. somewhere into adulthood, some of us lose that gusto...maybe just because we don't think we are good at it. the interesting thing is, in the 9 years i have been teaching i have not met one five year old who didn't like to paint. kids dive in and aren't afraid to fail. meanwhile, i'm having an 'oh shit' moment and fen is throwing up in her mouth and swallowing. (get a grip.) 

we started talking to the people around us, and everyone was paint nite virgins like us. to my surprise, there were a lot of dudes there. i mean, i guess i just expected it to be all women. i told warren about it and now he wants to go, too. not many people know this about him, but he was an art major in college and is very artistic! i actually was kinda scared to bring my painting home, because i knew he would critique it. i didn't want him to rip it apart and then the SAD kick in even more. (seriously.) so anyway, the instructor laid the ground rules and we got started. fen started with the blue sky and turned to me and said, "i think the SAD is coming out in my painting, it looks so melancholy." (i laughed.) she also was acting super serious. she is very much a rule follower and i am more of a rebel. it's amazing we have been friends for so long, because we are very different in that regard. the coors lites helped me relax and now i was just having fun. in the meantime, she was following along with the instructor...like her life depended on it. (it was funny.) the bartender came by to see if we needed a drink and as i ordered my beer, i realized fen was in the zone. i asked her if she wanted another one and she didn't answer me. i asked her again. and again. then she yelped, "i'm going to miss a step!" (holy balls.) the instructor said at one point that if we wanted to get creative, we could add a sea turtle to our scene. fen and i both started cracking up. let's stick to sky and sand, lady...sea turtles are for experts. 

the instructor stated at the beginning to try not to drink out of the paint water cup (i almost did. twice.) and also while you are waiting for your different layers of the paint to dry..."dry time is drink time." (you bet your sweet ass i took full advantage of that dry time.) as the painting came together and actually looked like something, we were both impressed with ourselves. there were about 50 people doing it, and although all the paintings looked similar, they all were unique in their own way. (which was cool.) the next day morning fen came over so that she could drop off my painting cause i left it in her car. ella was in awe. like, she legit thought i was picasso. i said to her, "why don't we do our own paint nite here?" her eyes lit up and a big smile came across her face. then she said, "...but i won't drink beer, i'll just stick with juice." (oh good.) so when carrie went down for her nap yesterday, i sat down with ella and i instructed her, just as the lady instructed me. she was mixing colors, picking different brushes to use, and having a ball. as she was doing it, i thought..."hey! i could do this with my whole class!" so that will be on the agenda this week, i can't wait to see how it goes. (guarantee not one kid will be disappointed.) it's actually a really simple concept and will help them practice following step by step directions, perfect their fine motor skills, and most importantly, it will be super fun. i'm happy to report that it really did combat the SAD. at the end of the day, we really are all children at heart. release your inner five year old and do something fun. don't think about failure and just dive in. at the end of the day...you'll be really glad you did.