Art Experience

At college, I took a class that I’ve never taken before: art. I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new. I thought that it was going to be fun but I was wrong. What I thought would be a pleasant ride turned into a roller-coaster of frustration.

Initially, I was quite excited and practiced a little. But I’m not a prodigy. The first term exams came along and I wasn’t confident at all. We had to draw and paint the particular leaf placed in front of us. I had absolutely no idea how to colour it. I was clueless of the technique and I didn’t have the right type of colour pencils. In short, it was terrible. I cried on the way home and vowed to do my homework next time.

I learned that I shouldn’t take things lightly. I have to be prepared if I want to see results. I knew that I had an exam but I was overconfident that I could do it well with no prior experience. I’ve realized that it was very impractical. If you’re procrastinating, I have one word for you: Don’t. alalahhama. As an extreme procrastinator myself, I’ve found that there are three possible reasons behind delaying an impending task: (a) Fear, (b) Laziness or (c) Overconfidence. Thinking about why you’re procrastinating will help you to overcome it.

The second exam was one that I had prepared for really well. I decided to draw and shade with graphite pencils. I practiced hard and could draw and shade it in time. But the art teacher didn’t inform us earlier that due to a recent change in the education board rules we couldn’t use graphite pencils for that particular topic. When did he tell me? After I finished my work. Was I angry? Yes, very. He told me to colour it in with some medium or another. I didn’t have much time so my brain went, “Use oil pastels.” In short, it was terrible. Again. Oh, joy.

What I learned from this experience is that I need to calm down and think quickly. Also that things won’t necessarily work in the way I want them to. I need to adapt to situations and get through them in the most effective way possible.

During art class, I always compared my work with everyone else’s work. I told one of my friends that her painting looks way better than mine and she glared at me and said, “Don’t ever compare. Just don’t ever compare your art work to anybody else’s because your work is yours.” That makes sense because my drawing isn’t going to be the same anyway and that’s how it should be. Embrace your uniqueness because that’s what makes you different.

I need to be confident and proud of my own ability. I need to believe in myself and learn from my mistakes. Don’t let anyone bring you down, especially yourself. All the time I wasted sulking could have been used to sharpen my skills.

I took my shot at redemption by painting a leaf last week. To my dismay, it did not turn out the way I wanted. Practice truly makes perfect. I’ve learned that the hard way. I decided to search for some water colour tutorials to observe the technique. I came across this YouTube channel called sketchynatalia and she really cheered me up. Help is available, you just have to ask for it. Don’t let fear or pride let you miss a chance to learn from others and even teach them a thing or two.

Don’t be hard on yourself for not being able to do something whether it is painting or singing or another skill that takes time to enhance. You will be able to do it well eventually. Enjoy your learning experience!

Now I’m still not an expert at art. There is still room for improvement though, there always is. My point is: learn from your mistakes and don’t give up. You’re just doodling on a page of the book of life and it will become a masterpiece soon. Hold on if you’re going through situations that you don’t see any positivity in. Everything happens for a reason and you will emerge a stronger, self-aware and smarter person.

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More inspirational stuff:

• The Time Is Now
• Labelled Life
• Trails
• Diamonds