Beginning Again

What a watercolour class taught me about creativity

Last week I went to a watercolour class. Well, it was actually more of an open watercolour workshop where everyone was working on their own pieces and chatting. I went for the social aspect and to try my hand at something new, something creative that wasn’t writing. To say I was the most ‘beginner’ watercolourist of the group is an understatement. While the other women in the class were painting incredible seascapes, flowers and abstract creations, I was under the teacher’s guidance, practicing with gradients of dilution with the paints. I would start with a very watered-down orange, for example, and work my way down the page gradually using more paint and less water, then I’d do the same again with the blue, and so on. The teacher wanted me to get a sense for the paints and what they can do before I started painting for real.

And while my ego wanted to paint a picture like everyone else, I decided that learning the basics and experimenting with the paints was exactly what I needed. In putting my ego and a desire for an outcome aside I could just have fun with the paints and learn along the way.

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

And it turns out it’s actually fun to be a beginner. I had nothing to prove to anyone. I wasn’t expecting to have some masterpiece by the end of the class. I was letting the paints talk to me, teach me and guide the way. When I freed myself to be less than perfect and got out of my head, I was able to experiment.

It reminded me that even though I’ve been writing for a long time, it’s important to play around at times, with no outcome on my mind, with no need for it to be anything other than paint (words) on the paper.

So this week, I’m asking myself, where can I experiment more? Where can I simply have fun in my writing?

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Teas and Tales

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

The Teas and Tales gatherings have been so joyful so far; a really cozy space to sip tea together and write. Thanks to everyone who has come along, your presence has been a gift.

Teas and Tales is a great place to allow yourself to experiment in your writing. When you get a prompt and only have a few minutes to write on it, it certainly frees up the sense of playfulness I’ve been talking about.

The next gathering will be on Sunday April 6th at 1pm CT/12pm PT/3pm ET/ 7pm BST

April’s tea to accompany us in our writing will be Rose 🌹

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Mentoring

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Recommendations

A few things I’ve enjoyed recently…

Zadie Zadie Zadie: It’s been 25 years since White Teeth came out and this interview in honour of that was just wonderful. Zadie Smith talks melancoly, the passing of time, menopause, the possibility that she won’t write another book and more.

Flash Fiction Joy: Earlier in the year I took Tommy Dean’s flash fiction course, Catching Lightning and it was soo good. I came out inspired, more knowledgable about flash fiction and more importantly wanting to write more. It’s starting again in April if you fancy dabbling in or improving your flash skills.

Wifedom: This book by Anna Funder about George Orwell’s wife and the way she was carefully erased from his biographies was a profound look at womanhood, being a wife and the way (famous) men have continued to benefit from the silent (and silenced) support of wives.

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