Getting back in the groove

A few years ago, one of the VPs told me, "Sarah, you've got balls." Being most definitely female, I decided to take this as a complement to my self assuredness. This is currently being tested.

You see, I have sold myself to the local community ed as a painting instructor. After all, I do have a BA in art and a MA in art history. The only problem: I haven't painted in 15 years.

The lovely program administrator called me in March and asked for some photographs of my work to put in the upcoming course guide. Oh. Panic. How can I make up for over a decade of non-activity?

After 4 weeks of worry and a few days of hard painting, I feel like I am finally limbering up. No, I haven't painted a masterpiece, but I definitely reached FLOW in the activity (I love the idea of flow, but I can never remember how to spell Csikszentmihalyi). The pictures are a bit silly and trite, but they make me smile and gave me a feeling that I haven't had in a long time. Maybe I should stop caring about a market for my makings and just concentrate on the make process - who knows what will come out of a few more days, months and years of hard painting?

Happy daubing!

PS. if you are the community ed culture administrator, please ignore this post. Of course I have been serious about my art for the past decade. Really!