Art

When I was younger, I thought that I was useless. I wasn't smart, artistic or athletic. Neither did I have a beautiful voice or the ability to play a musical instrument. I would always feel upset, looking at others with these kind of skills.

My main problem was that I was an impatient person. I would get bored when I was sewing something, and then my stitches would be crooked. I have tried learning how to play musical instruments, such as the ukulele and flute, but I would give up, fed up with the lack of progress. 

Whenever I tried to learn a new skill, I would most likely stop trying out of impatience, as I wanted to learn the skill as fast as possible.

It was the same story whenever I tried drawing or colouring. I would get bored while trying to draw a cup or when I was trying to finish colouring a complicated design. The only thing that I was good at artistically, was matching colours. I eventually gave up trying to learn such things, and stuck to reading storybooks.

One day, mummy told me that she would be teaching me how to paint. I wasn't thrilled. I thought that this would be another thing that I would fail at and give up on. Imagine my surprise when I enjoyed painting.

It felt good, using various colours to create a coherent picture. It was challenging and fun, trying to turn a blob of colours into something nice. I made mistakes, but for once, this was something I wanted to pursue.

Mummy helped me a lot. She taught me what she knew about watercolour techniques, and we also learned new techniques from online videos. When I was ready, she introduced me to the mixed media art form: creating artwork using painting and pasting techniques. 

Mixed media was even more fun for me. I enjoyed painting something, before sticking paper on it. It gave my art a different look, and it also encouraged me to try new ideas.

I did this!

Through painting and mixed media, I learned patience. I learned that not rushing to finish something is good, as it gives me time to think of better ideas. Ideas that I won't regret once I do it.

I may not be smart or athletic. I may not be musically inclined. However, I have learned that being good at something is not important. It's more important for me to enjoy what I'm doing and learn from it.