Goal 26 Accomplished: Take an Art Class

Art Class. A/k/a: Embracing Failure!



I walk across the Mall after work before each class. A good reminder of where I live!

I don't want to over state it, but it feels like reconnecting with my soul. With my inner child in the best way. I'm saying that despite feeling truly, deeply terrible at art.


Mixed Media is one of those rare worlds where perfectionists can let go. Or more like, have to let go. Where there's not really a wrong. Even if something is ugly, or terrible - it can be art. So there's no way to fail. It's a weird, uncomfortable concept - but so liberating at the same time.


I'm sitting next to people doing beautiful/museum level work. There are multiple professional artists in the class that just wanted experience in a different medium or wanted a way back to art after an absence. There's no way I can operate at their level, so there's almost nothing to do, but do what I can!




The Class.


There were about 12 of us in the class - ended with about 7 of us. Its down deep in the belly of one of the Smithsonian buildings. It's actually really fun - there's a side pavilion that we enter through and then climb down and down through a spiral staircase to the lowest level. At the bottom there is a hidden world of art classes. On Wednesday evenings, our class and others meet in these small classrooms. There's a drawing class, and a flower arranging class, for sure.





Week 1

Accordion booklet night. We were given long black construction paper, and a couple buckets of goodies to play with.


This is one of those times where the journey, not the destination, is what counts. I know that, and yet I feel more comfortable posting my work here because you can't see the other work that was produced in this class! The class art was amazing. Let me assure you it made me feel like an elementary kid in a college level class.

An accordion booklet was our first project.

The teacher came over during the first class and said, "Oh, I like the sequins" because there was nothing else to say after seeing all the other masterpieces. But you know what?  I loved it. The process, if not the result. It was freeing and calming.
Side note: Not sure the instructor ever had anything nice to say about my work. She gushed over other people's art. Other people really liked mine. But she was always seemed confused about my presence and my work. Oh well!


After a week of not seeing this, it seemed less like the Total Disaster I had remembered.



It reminded me of when I was in preschool. We used to play with shaving cream and draw and draw and then wipe away. It felt like that. it didn't matter what you did, it just mattered that you did something. Lesson one: embracing failure. Or really: Lesson one: There is no failure. It's not failure when you create; it's experience. At the very least, it's experimenting.

Week 2

I still feel very much that my creativity is at a different stage of unraveling than others' in the class, but I'm more content with week 2's end results!


Week two was a transparency project. We did the textured paint on one side and then did solid paint on the other side. (I should have taken a photo when it was still clear in the background, but my phone was put away for class!)

The background/backside. Acrylics on transparency.

Acrylics on transparency - used a textured tile, film strip, leaf, baby bok choy, and lace.

Side project of the day (strongly encouraged) on tar paper, oil pastels, and acrylics with a baby bok choy!

Weeks 3

Week 4: Jelly Plates!

My favorite week.

 the instructor made these "plates" made of gelatin - and we added paint, rolled it out - then added texture with random objections and printed it on paper - or transparencies, tar paper, whatever. Loved it. Fast and fun.

Weeks 5-7

We started doing less project based work - and just doing what we wanted.

There was another girl in the class (I think we were the youngest two, other than the class volunteer)- and we were probably the slowest. At everything. We were slowest to understand the lessons, start a project each time. So when we had to work on our own thing - I was so relieved that she uncontrollably asked in a fairly high pitched tone - "WHAT?! What do you mean?" "There's no assignment?"

Because of course that's what I felt. The creativity panic riding in on a wave. My mind usually goes completely blank and I have the equivalent of writer's block.

But thankfully, I'd already started a couple things - at the instructor's encouragement to have side projects every class. I finally had enough stuff to start putting things together. Phew! It was so satisfying. It felt like all the elements we'd been working on, all the art skills that felt a little silly - came together. Amazing.

The sheer amount of creativity pouring out of some of my classmates was breathtaking. The speed at which they created and developed things was astounding to me. But by the end of the class, I realized that (a) I tend to take the slow approach to new things and (b) many of them have not only been tapped into their creative juices for a long time, but they have more practice and experience. It was certainly easier by the end of class to come up with ideas then it was in the beginning. And that was true for my fellow reluctant art class participant as well.


Week 8: Encaustics
My other favorite week. This was working with a kind of wax to build layers - there's special paint that goes with it, and I have to say - in my dream art studio in my dream home - I am determined to have an encaustics space. I loved it so much.

I like this plain, early version better - without paint. but this was about learning!

In Conclusion: 

This was one of the most deeply satisfying 40 Before 40 goals accomplished to date. I feel like I broke down fears and barriers and gained skills, and had a new, unforgettable experience.

I'm seriously thinking about taking a drawing class or another art class of some kind soon. Sooner than later, I hope!





Life Lessons:
Let go of the fear of failure
Embrace experimentation - just try something!
Expression can be more fulfilling when you do it without words

Classic 16 of 40: The Little Prince

Why the Little Prince?

I first bought a copy of this book in French, back when I was studying in France. It came sealed with a cassette tape! And I never unsealed it. It must be in my mom's attic at this point. Which means, it's gone unread for ... 15 years. Woops. Such a little book. It's everywhere in France, little references - shops sell postcards with the art and quotes. I'm finally in on it!

Thoughts on the book:

This little book about a little prince and an aviator was lovely. It was short and playful. It made fun of seriousness and adulating in a big way, but also questioned some big life issues: what does it mean to own something? what does it mean to be a ruler or be ruled? what is love? it even seemed to tiptoe into some meaning of life questions. Some big topics for a tiny book with a tiny protagonist.

The plot existed - with a beginning, middle, and end - to be sure, but meandered here and there a long the way.

It's so little - and such a fun ride, I don't really want to give anything away if you haven't read it! I will say this - this is one of those books that you recall as time goes by. As in, "This is just like what happened in The Little Prince" - loss, grief, tyranny. It keeps popping up and feeling relevant to a surprising degree.

I was surprised that the author died so young. I hadn't realized that. Apparently he was a French pilot (travelling to Africa, which makes sense given the book takes place in Africa), and during the war escaped to the US where he wrote this and another book or two. But then went back to fight and went missing in action.

Recommended for:

All ages - parents & school kids might have fun with this together. Anyone else - feeling a little lost in the world and wanting a quick perspective check.




Added note:
A friend recommended that I watch the movie the Little Prince on Netflix - and I definitely recommend it. I don't think you need to read the book first - it references the book and uses it as a jumping off point. The book is reinterpreted into our modern world.

Classic 14: Tales of the South Pacific

James Michener.




Recommended for? History buffs, short story readers, or if you're in the mood for some classic 1940's language and perspectives about American life, men and women, justifications, and expectations.

Why Tales of the South Pacific?
James Michener came on my radar reading Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. She talked about how her mom read so many of his books, and read one on her hike with some nostalgia. The way she spoke about his novels, felt initially dismissive (though she seemed to come back around to them as offering more than she originally appreciated) and I figured that they were light hearted mystery books or easy reads. I want some balance in my lists, so light hearted sounded like just the ticket.  


When I was looking at which book to pick of his, I kept seeing Tales of the South Pacific come up as one of the best. I also learned that the musical South Pacific was based on the book. Again - suggesting a nice, light hearted book. After I bought the book, I saw the seal that it was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise. And the first sign that maybe I wasn't about to read a fluffy, page-turning whodunit.


How was it?
Really good. I see why it won the prize. It fit incredibly well with the books I've been reading over the past couple of years in this reading quest. It stirred memories of Kurt Vonnegot, the realities of war. And resurfaced images from Bradley's non fiction, Flyboys. It was actually quite complimentary. Flyboys focused, as you'd expect, on pilots - whereas this book centered on those who supported the flyboys or what those boys got up to ashore. Shenanigans, that's for sure.


The book balanced serious issues of war with humor and perplexity. Luck and happenstance, forward and backward thinkers, hard work, honor, morals, and bravado - all woven into the story of these men and women. All considered. It didn't answer unanswerable questions, but simply took them as part of life. Jungles, seas, and unanswerable questions - that's war in the South Pacific. I appreciated it.  There was just so much more to this book than I could describe here.


Chapters were more like short stories. Some floating gems, some with returning characters. The abrupt changes between narrators and tones was occasionally jarring, but suited the nature of the book. Linguistically, it felt like it could have been read by Humphrey Bogart at times. With talk about dames and scandal, Japs, and what it meant to be brave or bored in the South Pacific.




I ended up taking my time reading this book, because I didn't want to rush it. It was worth slowing down for. It was an unexpected book - and feels exemplary of why I started this challenge. To branch outside my reading comfort zone.

Goal 25 Accomplished! Drive through the New England Fall colors

Goal 25: Leaf Peeping!

My very good friend, Erin, and her beautiful family were travelling to New England - and kindly let me come crash their weekend. I'm so grateful to get to cross another item off my list with one of my favorite people and one of the best families that I know.


And, I mean, now I can say I've gone Leaf Peeping!

Fodor's had a suggested drive through Rhode Island that included a stop at this little store that's been operational since the 1800's and has a penny candy counter!
Fodor's Rhode Island Fall Foliage Drive

We stopped at a cheese farm in Vermont that had these cuties (above and below) to entertain.

Thanks Erin for finding a genuine Vermont Cheese Farm! With truly delicious cheese. That I, sadly, left behind in Rhode Island... Reason to go back? Absolutely.

We were staying in Rhode Island (where Erin's husband Mike had a conference the following week), and took a road trip through Rhode Island and Connecticut the first day. Inspired by that first day we went on to pile on a few extra states Day 2 - because why not?! We went to Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 6 states in two days!

We had heard going into the trip that the fall colors might not be so bright as usual because of a dry summer - so we weren't really sure what to expect. Happily as we went further North, the colors became more dramatic.

Thank you Reynolds Family for a beautiful and lovely weekend!

Erin, Cora, and Me (photo credit: Mike Reynolds!

Joy of Cooking: Beef Stroganaff

(In Five Easy Steps)

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of sliced beef (fillet of beef)

3T butter

1 Medium Onion

2C beef stock

3/4 lb sliced or quartered mushrooms

1 C sour cream

Nutmeg

Salt & Pepper

1T Dijon Mustard

Egg Noodles

Optional:

Thyme to seasoning mix

Worcester sauce

Tomato paste

Directions:

1. Brown the beef in some butter or olive oil. Hot pan, this is quick. Take the beef off, let sit on plate

2. Sautee onions for a few minutes, until translucent brown. Add mushrooms and brown those.

3. Add the beef back in, then add beef stock,

4. Add sour cream, Dijon, season to taste

5. Serve over cooked egg noodles - the longer it sits, the more the sauce thickens.



6. Enjoy!

I like it with zucchini or some other green vegetable. Chef's choice or whatever's around.

Directions

1. Brown the beef in some butter or olive oil. Hot pan, this is quick. Take the beef off, let sit on plate.

2. Sautee onions for a few minutes, until translucent brown. Add mushrooms and brown those.

3. Add the beef back in, then add beef stock (and Worcester, tomato paste, optional items)

4. Add sour cream, Dijon, season to taste

5. Serve over cooked egg noodles - the longer it sits, the more the sauce thickens.

JC Ticker
Julia Child Recipe: 1 of 20
Joy of Cooking Recipe 3 of 20.



Classic 15: Brave New World

It was banned books week recently - and the DC Public Library had an outreach at our local farmer's market - basically bringing this book to me!

DC Public Library at the Farmer's Market promoting #bannedbooks !

I liked this book way more than I expect to. I enjoyed the plot, the writing style, and the ideas explored. I almost feel bad that my expectations were so low going in. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much, but I don't think that was it.


An early dystopian novel - referred to as a "utopian" society by journalists at the time - but clearly not an idealized utopia. One foraged through science and industrialization gone amok. A British society turned upside down - where sexual promiscuity was not only encouraged, but anything less was frowned upon. Attachments discouraged. Individualism despised. Creativity and independent thought abhorred.


Who else could be the idolized figurehead of the industrial future of human kind, but Ford? For Ford's Sake! I loved it. I loved the simplicity of it. I loved the symbolism. I did not love the truth of it.


But the appalling truth is staggering. The extremes drawn out in the novel aren't so far off from where we are. The idea of tossing things out when they wear down rather than replace them? Just look at our landfills. The idea of soma tablets for the masses to diminish their independent thoughts? We are the most overmedicated society in history - using food, alcohol, and drugs to distance ourselves from unpleasant matters.


An elusive and unsettled concept for me was his idea that we have levels of a society - and that this utopian society could not be sustained long term with all "Alphas" we need lesser people to do lesser jobs or we need room for growth and development. Society can't exist without that. I'm not entirely true I agree, but I think it's an interesting concept to mull on. I've certainly met philosophizing garbage men who appeared very satisfied with their life work. Large and small organizations seemed to have tackled this with either rotating everyone through the menial tasks or requiring the menial tasks as a prerequisite to further participation in the organization or society. You have to be a private before you can be a general.


At first glance, it Huxley seemed to be asking, "What's the purpose of human life?" he was really asking harder questions. Do we want independence or just the illusion of it? What is freedom, anyway? Is life better with no real choices in exchange for no pain? Is it better to be a free thinking individual alone - or a mindless part of a larger community? What are you willing to give up to be part of one or the other?


Recommended? This was a quick read. Fun for those who enjoy today's modern dystopian novels. There were elements of many of them in this early vision. I'd also say it's worth considering for those that enjoy today's post apocalyptic shows (The Walking Dead, The Last Ship, Falling Skies, etc!).

Goal 31: Shoot a Gun, Accomplished!





Another goal accomplished! 10 out of 40, actually - a quarter of the way!



I shot a gun. A .22 caliber!

This whole experience brought up so many things for me (facing fears on my own, The American gun experience, America's obsession and divide on gun issues) - but - I loved it. Way more than I expected.

So how did this even become a goal?

I was raised in a very strict anti-gun household. Not only were no toy guns allowed in my house, no one was allowed to even use other toys and pretend they were guns. When I asked the instructor to take a photo of me with my first shot, I said, "My mom is going to be so disappointed in me!" Sure enough her response to the photo was, "Omg! Daughter of a hippie!"

When I was teaching in Japan, though, I had so many students that went to America and went to shooting ranges to try shooting - An American experience. And a uniquely American experience in some ways. So many students would assume I was a gun owner because I'm American. They were shocked to find out I'd never shot or held a gun. At first I thought it was crazy that these students were coming to the States and taking time out of their trip to go to a shooting range. But eventually I started wondering why these Japanese students were open to the experience and I wasn't? So, my goal was set.


I learned so much more from it than I ever expected.

The Experience.

I found a Living Social deal for half off a beginner lesson at a place in Rockville (Gilbert Indoor Range), just outside of DC. There was a video lesson, a test on gun safety, and then hands on lessons about the mechanics of the gun, followed by going out on the range.

The whole set up was great for me. I loved the slow approach. I found myself super nervous going in. I was on my own - no one to nervous giggle with. No one to crack jokes with. No one to share in my terrible or awesome bullseye hitting.



I got to shoot at various distances - 10, 15, 20, and 30 feet.

The instructor was a middle aged guy, former military. His daughter had just given birth to his first grandchild that night. Yet, here he was: Sharp, kind, patient. He was so supportive with lots of positive reinforcement. And lots of little quizzes. I was the only one in the class - so we went at my pace - it was unhurried, but not dull.



I was surprised how heavy the gun was and how heavy the elements of the gun were - the bolt release, the magazine release, the safety. I was surprised how tired my arms got holding it out for a long time and how quickly my eyes got blurry.



Me & My First shot! I was so relieved that I hit the paper at all - let alone anywhere near the target!

A few reflections.


Facing the fear of shooting a guy, by myself was interesting. I had way more nervous butterflies than I expected. "These are real guns, Dummy," kept going through my head. "Anything can happen!" When they kept calling it a HOT range (because people fire whenever they want not at all at the same time), it made me kind of wish I had someone with me. When the instructor told me I was going to shoot the last 40 rounds by myself, I thought, "But, who's going to cover my six?!" But - wouldn't you know it - of course, I felt all that much stronger having gone alone and made it through.


All the gun issues kept swirling. Gun violence in America is a source of pretty big frustration for me - so what  was I doing going to a gun range? But how can I go bananas about something constitutionally protected that I haven't even tried?


When the uber driver taking me from the metro to the range called and asked where I was going - I said I was going to a shooting range, he was like, "Whoa" as in ... I was wondering if I was going to need to call another ride. On the other hand, the uber driver who picked me up when it was over talked to me about it. I told him, I was raised anti-gun; almost knee jerk reaction, he was like - "I'm pro gun ...I'm conservative, and I'm pro gun, and I think the NRA does a lot in the country to defend gun safety." - but then said he'd never shot one! We ended up talking about the lesson and the experience - it was actually really nice.


In my brief discussion with uber driver #2, I said that I thought both sides try to make a very nuanced argument way too simple. Anti-gun Liberals are crazy to say or imply that no one should have a gun. An Oregon judge recently said that all guns should be thrown in the ocean. I completely understand the sentiment. And while I would love to live in a world where we could abolish all guns and weapons, that's not the world we live in. A lot of liberals aren't saying that we need to take them all but it can seem like that's all that pro-gun conservatives hear sometimes. Similarly, just because you can arm yourself doesn't mean that you should be able to arm yourself with anything that you can label as a gun. Not all regulations are a slippery slope towards taking away all the guns, but I understand why it can feel that way. It's a messy, emotional subject and there are strong arguments on both sides.


I will say this, I bought my gun lesson for my birthday - and since then have been watching all these post-apocalyptic shows (Falling Skies, The Walking dead, The Fifth Wave, The Last Ship) - and I have to tell you, it made me really happy I had a gun lesson on the books.

Look at all those bullseyes!



Goal Met: I went outside my comfort zone.  I tried something new. I loved it. I learned a lot about me I didn't expect to. And, I'd go again tomorrow.