Inspiration

Besides writing and posting last week's blog post (and quickly looking up an address), this is the first time I have opened my computer in a week. I haven't even played in Canva to generate social media posts. Yes, this is absolutely unprecedented for me. Even when I took a month-long break this summer, I was still on my laptop in creation mode (writing, graphic designing, etc.).

During this holiday break, I re-rediscovered a different kind of creativity. About this time last year, I was trying to fix a large mural I had started when Kenzie left home. Out of frustration with the lack of the right colors of paint, I treated myself to a new set through (Dick) Blick Art supplies. Then, as soon as the lovely tubes of fresh acrylics arrived, the inspiration - up and left.

The small blue crate of supplies sat in the corner for the whole year until Christmas Eve when I moved the bed out of the way, found a yogurt bucket for water, used the lid for a palette, and began playing with paint again.

I'm happy to report that I quickly fell into the groove I initially summoned as a teenager, sitting on the art room desks with my first canvas in front of me.

That first painting was an 18" x 24" copy of a forest scene that Mrs. Sennett, my art teacher, provided as a guide. I will always recall the feeling of awe and relief when she let me explore the possibilities of that single canvas while sitting cross-legged on top of those desks for months on end - while the other students moved on from one project to another.

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This is my original painting from '81 or '82. The thickness of the paint attests to the amount of time I spent redoing various portions to get everything to the point that I was satisfied.

The hard won process is why I explain to kids who are intimidated by the medium that it is only paint - you can go over it as many times as you need to achieve your version of perfection.

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Even though my lone talent lies in depicting trees, vines, and grass, she instilled my love for playing with paint (something I often forget but eventually return to) because she just let me be for that entire semester.

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About twenty years later, I decided to paint murals in Kenzie's room right before their 4th birthday. A few years before this, I had tried to paint mountains and dinosaurs in Ian's room and failed dismally, Mike took over and it turned out perfectly for the four-year-old boy who lived and breathed all things dinos. I learned from that frustrating experience to stick with trees. Fortunately we have pictures in photo albums as this is 2001 - a few years before Google Photos existed.

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It is hard to describe where my mind goes when I paint - except to say it is magical.  Mrs. Sennett helped me discover that extraordinary place that lives in me where time disappears and imagination, ingenuity, and playfulness rule - a place I visit every time I am in creative (problem-solving) mode.

While I am lost in that miraculous space - I come up with my best ideas - most of which are not directly related to the project in front of me but are a collection of seemingly independent thoughts that were swirling, twirling, and taunting me just out of reach, impatiently waiting for those moments of quiet inspiration to coalesce. The trick is to capture them and jump in to make them happen before they disappear into the ether once again.

I had the incredible privilege of seeing Mrs. Sennett again just before the pandemic while she was packing up her home in Potsdam. She had called DRC to let me know she had set aside some art books from her collection for me and wanted me to come and get them. During our prolonged conversation punctuated with hugs, I expressed how much she has inspired my philosophy throughout my 22-year career in alternative education and how grateful I was for her mentorship.

All those years ago, she stood back quietly, gently guiding the process and allowing me to fully be my weird, misfit self - utterly oblivious to the chaos around me - lost in the pure pleasure of mixing pigment, painting trees, and giving my imagination free rein. It is because of her that I felt comfortable, accepted, and seen in a place that normally did the very opposite. With profound gratitude and understanding of that beautiful gift, I consciously offer my DRC kiddos the same.

This is the current work in progress.

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May you be inspired by the people around you to jump in, get creative, and fully be yourself!

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