Author : Maya Talisman Frost
Painting is my new passion.
Who knew?A few days ago, I was talking to my
mother on the phone. I told her that
our apartment here in Buenos Aires is
great, but there is absolutely nothing on
the walls. I mentioned that I had
considered buying art, but decided
instead to just get a bunch of paint
and canvases and make my own."But you're not a painter," she said,
confused."I know. But I'm not doing portraits
or anything too detailed. I'm just
doing abstracts," I explained."But you've never done abstracts,"
she pointed out."Yes, I know. But it can't be that
difficult, and the only person I
have to please is myself, so as long
as I pick the colors I like and play
around, it should turn out just fine,"
I said."But painters study for years to
learn their techniques," she
continued."Yes, yes. But I don't care about
that. I'm in it for the fun of it and
to paint something colorful for
my walls," I explained, getting a
tiny bit exasperated."But you don't paint," she said.
I could almost hear her shaking
her head.And that is how I ended up with a
stack of canvases, piles of paint
cans and tubes, a handful of
brushes, and sheets of clear
plastic draped all over my dining
room. I've barely come up for air
since. I feel like a little kid
who has just discovered the joy of
finger painting.I can't get enough of it. But let me
stress that this has all happened in
one week. My husband went on
a week-long trip, and I thought it
was a perfect opportunity to make
a complete mess while he was gone.I did a little research online before
I got started. I especially liked
one site on which a painter offers
tips for those who've never picked
up a brush. "You can't mess up,"
he announces. "Just have fun and
play with it!"Now, that's the kind of advice I love!
That's how I started gardening.And just like when I was a
passionate gardener,
it's not about the final product.
I had played in the dirt happily for
years to transform our property, and
when we put up the "For Sale" sign
in the front yard, my neighbors
asked, "But how will you ever
leave this garden?"Oh, easy. You see, it was never
about the garden. It was about
the gardening. I wasn't
attached to the garden per se--I
just loved the process of digging,
planning, planting, and even
weeding. As it turned out, I
didn't have any problem leaving
behind the gardening either,
eventually. (It took a few more
gardens before I got to that point.)What excites us at one time in our
lives doesn't necessarily make us want
to leap out of bed at 5 am to get
started years later. The trick is to keep
playing, keep seeing it as
playing, and when it starts to feel like
work, consider tweaking it or doing
something completely different.For those of the stick-to-one-thing
persuasion, I have to ask, "Which
thing?" How can we know what
we will love until we try it?As we get older, it gets harder to
try new things. We're used to being
good at what we do. But the more
we embrace being a novice, the
easier it becomes and the more
likely we are to try MORE new
things.I was an absolute novice at
painting last week. I still am,
but I'm learning more each day,
and I'm having a blast. What
else matters?And my walls? They're covered with
paintings in brilliant hues. I smile
every time I look at them.I'll send photos to my mother.Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she offers playful, eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To read her free tips and tricks for practical awareness, visit http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com
Keyword : mindfulness, meditation, painting, art therapy, creativity, awareness, motivation
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