Grateful for Painting Journal Entry 5

On a good day, I get to spend a few hours of painting.  It is as necessary for me as breathing and as satisfying as a good meal.  When I don't paint, I notice that my heart rate goes up, I do not sleep as well, and I feel more stressed.   It is fortuitous for me that I can find a way to use my talent, skillset, and passion in my work.  

I am also grateful for the quiet time, the smell of the gesso, the sound of the paint dabbing on the canvas, and the tinkle of the jar of water as the paintbrush swishes back and forth.  It is in these times that I am most relaxed.  When I am in that zone, and the spirit moves me, I paint.

Samir Becic mentions many reasons in his book ReSYNC Your Life why painting is a good habit to begin.  Here are a few that are most important to me:

·       Improves concentration - Focus, you really must sit still and look at something when you paint.  We know that apples can be red but, if you really look at an apple, you might find that a red apple is also brown, burgundy, highlights that are pink or peach or white. The apple has dots or leaves, and it may cast a shadow or perhaps not.  This attention to detail will allow other problems in your life to vanish.

·        Critical Thinking Skills - Really, you must think about it, and when you paint as much as I do, you begin to think about everything as a potential art piece.  Sitting on the back deck, I see trees, flowers, plants growing, and I begin to consider what brush would I use?  How would I replicate that texture, what colors would I chose, and how much paint would be necessary?  Is that painting going to be large or small what angles would I use where I would want the focal point to be? When we paint, we become more decisive, more innovative, and much more confident about using these skills.

·        An excellent way to relax - As I mentioned before the attention to detail allows you to focus on one task and let go of all of the other things that trouble us.  Painting is a lot like meditation in this respect.  It fosters relaxation, and it relieves stress.