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Learning

    My son, Josh, gave me an online art class for Christmas. It just started on Monday. Step one was to copy a portrait (the instructor supplied one). Step two was to shade/color using charcoal.

    Now, my children will attest that my drawing skills are pretty basic. And I’ve never ever used charcoal in my life. It is messy stuff! But this is what I did today.

    For most of my life I lived with the mantra, “I am not a creative person”.  I believed that I wasn’t creative because I can’t draw what I see in my head. I believed that I wasn’t a creative person because my writing skills aren’t best-seller material. I believed I wasn’t a creative person because I couldn’t draft a sewing or knitting pattern to make something I imagine.

    But all that is a lie. I am a creative person. I always have been. I can look at problems and find options that others often miss. I can make a nutritious meal out of the remnants of our pantry when the budget is tight. I can find joy when things look bleak. So I have always been creative, I just didn’t recognize it.

    Sometimes not knowing how to do something is such a huge roadblock, and it’s really easy to turn not having knowledge into “I can’t”.  A few years ago I decided to start learning how to do the things I want to learn.  This week I’m conquering portraits and watercolors by taking the Radiant Watercolor Portrait class on Jeanne Oliver’s creative network.  (Check it out! She has several free videos, and the classes are completely flexible.)

    I have a lot to learn, but, you guys! I drew that! And it looks like a human person!