Failing… and doing it anyway

Does this sound familiar? You carry something in your handbag for weeks and months, and you never need it.
So, logically, you decide to finally take it out and reduce the burden on your poor aching shoulders a bit.
And on that EXACT DAY, or latest the day after, you find yourself in a situation desperately needing that exact same thing!
I’ve burned myself before. This will never happen to me again.
So this week, and even when we went to the beach, I diligently carried all my favorite art supplies with me…
And of course didn’t get the chance to paint almost anything. At least I mostly got to hang my bag on my daughter’s stroller.

I wish it were otherwise, but it’s ok.

My reality at the moment is that my daughter still needs me most of her wake hours, so I enjoyed the time with her and my family.

To be honest, I was also a bit self-conscious about getting my brushes and paints out with everyone around me. Moreover, I didn’t want my family to feel I’m being disrespectful.

I did try on a few occasions and got some quick unfinished sketches that got stains all over them from not having the time to let them dry properly…

I also did a few simple color exercises from Jean Haines’ book Calm. At first, I thought they were too simple, but once I let go of my ego and pressure to create a “masterpiece”, I really enjoyed putting my favorite Rosemary & Co. travel brush to paper and just watching the watercolor do its magic.
I had to do this in the night while my daughter was sleeping. The only place that had light (without the danger of waking up my sweet sleeping baby) was the bathroom of our hotel room.

Yes, glamorous, I know.

I had fun anyways.