I work at an Independent Living Center. It’s a non-profit organization that provides
resources and different services to people with disabilities to hopefully help
them to live on their own in their communities.
One of the programs we have is recreation and this includes occasionally
holding classes.
The last two days I
have had the fun opportunity to teach a group of people a little bit about
painting. My involvement was kind of
impromptu when a co-worker asked if I could take a few minutes to talk about
art and maybe give some instruction on painting techniques. In no way am I a qualified instructor and I
have very little formal education in art.
But it was a laid back class and the participants were eager to learn
anything I could share. This made it
easy. I gave a short lesson on
composition, color, gave some suggestions on how to start and shared tips for
manipulating paint with different brushes.
The group wanted me to stick around and assist them if they ran into
problems or had questions.
Most the
participants had little or no experience painting. Some
were hesitant to get started but after sharing my ideas about what art can be
and encouraging them to let go of ideas about what art “should” be they jumped
in with confidence. They were delighted
at what they were able to do! It was so
much fun for me to help people create something they were happy with.
The class went three hours each day for two days. I was impressed with what they came up with
and I absolutely loved being able to assist them when they ran into a
problem. I surprised myself with how
much I was able to share with them and help problem solve when problems came.
I strongly believe that anyone and everyone
can benefit from art and opportunities to be creative. As humans we need this. Whether it’s painting on canvas, arranging a
stellar living space, or putting together a genius wardrobe we all do better
when we are able to create and express through artistic means. How fun to be able to help others discover
this!
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