Art as a Journey
This past week, I spent some time with my sixteen year old niece, Kylie. Our plan was to have a sip and paint and we did that plus a lot of other things. My niece has begun to enjoy watercolor just like I do, so we had been planning this since our last one which was way back before Christmas. Just like most sixteen year olds, Kylie stays busy with her hobbies of archery and horseback riding. She doesn’t have a lot of time for sipping and painting with me, especially when I also stay pretty busy. Therefore, I was so glad to get this time with her. It also left me reflecting on art as a journey.
Galette
We started out with creating a beautiful dessert together. I had been wanting to try galette for a while mostly because I thought it looked amazing. Galette is very rustic looking and that drew me in. My niece enjoys a lot of the same things as I do, so she was excited to try galette, too. She made the whole thing. I assisted. We served it outdoors on a table with flowers and candles. It definitely warmed our artistic hearts. I’m not going to mention that it started raining on us and ran us inside 🙃.
Harry Potter and Swamp Things
Next, we took a long walk with my grandkids and had an imaginative adventure escaping alligators and bears in a pretend “swamp.” When we finally got back home, we snuggled up on the couch and watched one of the Harry Potter movies that both of us love. I stayed up later than I have in months, but it was time well spent.
Gardening, sipping and painting
The next morning, we spent some time gardening and picking berries with Nan and Pap. After having lunch with them, we finally got around to the sip and paint. Kylie made us pina colada’s (no alcohol version, of course) and they were delicious. We both chose our subjects which happened to be on the sea…another love we share. I chose a photograph that I wanted to turn into a Father’s Day card for my dad who is Kylie’s Pap. Kylie wanted to do more of an actual painting and followed a tutorial. We worked several hours outside on the porch just painting. Neither of us were super happy with our finished paintings; however, it was the best afternoon. (Remember that “Art is a journey.”) I can’t wait to do it again.
the journey
I wanted to write about this experience to say that art isn’t always about the finished product. It is most definitely about the journey, just like a lot of things. Don’t allow self-doubt to hold you back from creating something. The peace and joy that you can gain from the process is priceless. When I look back at Kylie’s painting, and my card, I see beauty in both. Maybe they really are and maybe it is just my feelings about them that make them appear lovelier now. Find a way to be creative. The feeling you walk away with is so worth it.
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