Real Art. (part 2)

In college, my roommate, Shannon Ho, would invite me to tag along with her to the art building at Baylor. She was a photography major, and I loved the glimpse into her world. 

The darkroom, where magic occurs. The loft studios for senior painting majors. The drawing classrooms with their models. A still life, waiting to be captured. Lithography stones, ready for ink. What a field trip, to see works in progress and artists at their craft.

One day, she was finishing some projects in the ceramic studio and asked if I'd like to throw something on the wheel. I'd never done that before and was excitedly nervous. She introduced me to her professor, gave me some clay and pointers, and I made a small vessel/vase/thing. But the process of bringing a lump of clay to life...I loved that. Another trip to the studio for glazing. And then one day, at the end of the semester, Shannon brought it home.

I loved how the piece had turned out, especially the glaze. A matte blue mostly, with some deep shiny drips of midnight, speckled with rust. Texture and color that had been worked out of a lump of earth. It's not perfect; it leans a bit to one side.

I remember regretting two spots, evidence of my fingers during the glazing. Shannon smiled at me and told me that a potter sometimes leaves them intentionally, the touch of the artist's hands.

I loved Shannon's gift for artistry in so many different mediums. Loved getting to soak in art through her gifts and explanations of techniques.  Loved that she wanted to include her friends and encourage them to try something new and beautiful...even if they didn't have natural talent in those areas.

And I saw that those who create art were--are--more than just painters and sculptors and sketch artists. Writing is art. Cooking is art. Playing an instrument. Setting a beautiful table. Gardening. Creating beauty around you.

And you know what? I found a freedom to enjoy various forms of artistic expression and make something beautiful even if it's not perfect.

My paintings of flowers and sunsets will never impress the world like a Monet...but I'm not afraid to try to paint them anymore. I have found that while I recognize my natural talents, I enjoy trying new things. Sometimes, trying something new is just the thing I need to get my creative juices flowing in what I do well.

Being creative brings beauty to my life, my little world...and my children think I just might be the best artist in the world. For a few more years, at least.

I'm excited to share with you over the next month some creative projects from our little world...I hope you'll join me!

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This is Day 2 of 31 Days: Crafting a Creative Life. You can find an archive of all the posts from this series here. Thanks for joining me this month!