Coloring Outside the Lines

My foray into the art world, taking painting lessons, has really taught me a lot about myself. It's strange how art reflects the artist's personality, background, & even upbringing.

In my first class, I tried to paint "within the lines"; I kept my brush strokes as even as possible; it was hard for me to let go of what I had previously been taught since toddlerhood. Remember the coloring books we used to have as kids, & how our teachers & parents would tell us to color within the lines? I realise now that that has how I have been living my life. Always coloring within the lines. Not making a "wrong move". Doing what is conventional & expected. Not upsetting the balance of the universe.

My art teacher told us to forget all that we have been told about what art should look like. It's OK to have uneven brush strokes. You don't have to color within the lines. The sky doesn't have to be blue or the grass green.

It's still an uphill battle for me to use my right brain, and to try to perceive of the world around me in a totally different way than I am used to. I have been so used to seeing the world in black & white & gray, that I had forgotten about the other colors in the spectrum.

With Art, I am starting to open my eyes, & to stimulate previously slumbering neurons in that area of my brain that has been left idle too long. I see a long journey ahead, but one which I look forward to with relish.