I think I'm going to pick up painting.
It's interesting. I'm not sure why I've never gotten into painting. I really enjoy drawing, writing, and music; those are my premier arts. I've been seriously playing music since high school, I've been writing (in one form or another [and off-and-on, at that]) since probably middle school, and I've been drawing since before I can remember.
So why is it that I'm not really into painting? I mean, I like paintings. I really enjoy going to art exhibits and looking at the paintings and thinking about what the artist was trying to tell me, what I'm supposed to be feeling. Sometimes, with certain paintings, I'll be caught up in the technical bits, wondering how an artist could mix the colours together with such perfection, or how in the world the artist made paint look like light on a mountain. It just boggles my mind.
But, then, if I enjoy looking at paintings so much, why is it that I've never really tried my hand at it? I mean, the last thing I painted was in eighth grade, I believe, and it was terrible. Actually, I think it was okay for an eighth-grader, but whatever.
As I've thought about this more, I've started to come to a realization (and, at that, one that I certainly didn't want to have): I think I've never tried my hand at painting because it requires a lot of you. Doesn't that sound terrible? But I fear it's true. Let's look at the things I have tried, shall we?
I've been drawing for a long time. What does a person need in order to draw? If we stick to traditional conventions (which seems appropriate when we're essentially examining what a three-year-old needs in order to draw), we see that we need paper and a pencil or pen. Maybe a marker. No big deal, right? I could find all of those things right now without even getting up from my desk.
What about writing? Actually, it's pretty much the same for that. I mean, yeah, now I use a computer to write on, but I don't really need to. Writing on good old fashioned paper works just fine. So, that's pretty simple.
Music is a bit tougher because you do need to get an instrument. Without that, you can't really play music, right? But once you have that, that's about it. You don't even really need any training in music; I wouldn't say that I have much real training to speak of.
Painting, though. You need an easel, you need canvas, you need paints and brushes and a room and newspapers, and all kinds of things, and then, even if you get all that stuff, what if your painting isn't even very good? It seems tough to me.
Let me add a little note here: it occurs to me that, if I had developed talents other than those which I have, maybe I would say this about music or writing. I don't know, so it's not terribly relevant, but I think it's relevant enough to be worth mentioning.
Now, the point of this post is not to talk about how lazy I am. It's not to talk about how I'm such a lame human being or anything. It's not even really about how much I'd like to take up painting. The point is basically to improve myself. To think of something I would love to do, and do it. If I'm not doing it, I want to be able to figure out what's holding me back and fix it. Because one day, someone (whether it be a student, a child, or friggin' Saint Peter himself) is going to ask me why I didn't ever paint. I don't want my answer to be "I didn't have time," or "it was just too much work." I'd much rather my answer be "actually, I did."
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