COLOR MAD MONDAY: ART SUPPLIES!

My friend High-School-Debbie mentioned recently that she'd been taking some online classes related to art and creativity. One was through the Brave Girls Club, and was geared towards resurrecting the person you were meant to be -- the person who has always been there, but who may have gone into hiding while you were busy doing other stuff and taking care of everyone else. I'm not sure about the other one, which was more of an introduction to a variety of art supplies, and how to use them. She got me to thinkin' -- about how much I looooove art supplies!

Some of my most vivid childhood memories are of the thrill I got when I was gifted with the giant box of Crayola crayons (the one with the built-in sharpener) one Christmas, and being rewarded with a trip to the Five & Dime to purchase a brand new package of manilla paper, when I didn't pitch a fit at the doctor's office. I also remember going to play at my friend Deeny's house, and having my eyes just about pop out of my head when I discovered they had a huge cabinet in their hallway that held nothing but art supplies. I swore right then and there that, when I grew up, I'd have a cabinet just like it!

Anyhoo, back to the classes. I often think about signing up for art lessons, and actually did take a class on travel sketching over at Laguna Gloria when I first moved up here. The problems with that were: 1) it was expensive, 2) it's a pain to drive over to Austin for each session, especially if they are at night, and 3) it only lasted a few sessions, and though I swore I would keep up the practice after it ended, I never did.

So, here's what I'm thinking now. I'm thinking that if one's goal was to become a true "artist", then there could be no substitute for spending time face-to-face with some masterful teachers. However, if all you are really looking for is something that will motivate you to spend some quality time with those lovely pens, papers and colors on a regular basis, well then, some online classes might be just the ticket, no?