So the thing about watercolor is... — Hello, Clementine!
I'm actually fearless when I'm painting. Funny right? Especially when I think back to how nervous I was to try it. I love the happy mistakes that happen as I'm learning techniques, I love layering, and I love how fearless I become when I start to paint.
Last night I struck up a conversation with a peer across the room, and I suddenly felt the type of camaraderie I haven't felt since taking G. Lynn Nelson's class almost 10 years ago. That class, Writing and Being, made me fearless in a way I didn't know I could be. For the first time there were no rules, well except one: Start from the heart. Tell real stories. And I did- I wrote everything I knew. I got real with the stories that made me who I was and I was able to see my peers get real with their stories. Together we were vulnerable, we were new, and we were fearless.
When I sat down to mix up my paints last night, I felt a strange sensation... I felt fearlessness. There, in my watercolor class, I was free to try these new techniques with no risk. Much like writing a word photograph for the first time, my abilities were a little shaky, but it was fun. Oh! It was so fun.
Maybe you don't do anything but smile and think about the time you were fearless. It looks good on you!