Using paint for painting class is so 1992...

Yes, I'm breaking my own rule about not talking about my classes, but I felt this one needed to be shared... especially since some of you have been privy to other experiences.  Aside from the fact that I only found out this class was going to run yesterday morning, and class was to start last night, that would be the least of my problems.

I arrived about 20 minutes early, figuring that since this was the first class,  no one would be waiting outside, 45-60 minutes early, like other classes I've (cough) heard about... I had brought in some of my own work, brought in my supplies, dug through old class exercise canvases that have long since been abandoned, trying to figure out my best plan of attack for a 3 hour class.

Mr. Enthusiasm (age 72) showed up first... but I noticed he had no supplies. He said he thought the first class would just be an orientation lecture. I said with only 6 weeks in this session, we're going to start painting tonight!! If he lived close enough, he should really go home and get his stuff.

During our brief bit of smalltalk, I found out that Mr. Enthusiasm was more or less self-taught, having had an insatiable hunger for art history books. He had worked in the steel mills which is where he learned welding, and after that, he ventured into sculpture.  He no longer has a torch, so he said he uses whatever other materials he finds that he can repurpose. I get that.

I also heard, "WELDING!!" I have wanted to learn to weld for the past 20 years, but never seem to have gotten the chance. I asked if he would please bring back some of his work, when he went home to get his supplies... and off he went.

Student #2 shows up!! Ms. Youth!! Also supply-less... Really?? No supplies?? She said she gathered that supplies would be included. HA! HAHA!! No, I told her, they're not... you should have been given a list. I said she could use some of mine for this evening... We talked a bit about her experience and what brought her here. She's a graphic designer and spends most of her day doing banners and envelope design. She really wanted something more creative again. She said she also was known for asking questions and hoped that was alright! HA! QUESTIONS?!!! Someone who wanted to ask questions and not know everything right from the start!!! I said I LOVED questions and would do my best to answer all... Yes! Let loose with the questions... ask them in 20 different ways. Pry what you need from my atrophying brain!!!

Enter student #3... Mrs. I'm Retired, (age, early 60's). Guess what?? She had no supplies... I called the main facility, hoping they could fax a list, but apparently none was on file, and I could not access mine at home. I started reeling them off, and was 6 items into a list before they asked if I could email them in the morning. :)

Mr. Enthusiasm returned with some awesome sculptures, we talked about them and his inspiration. We talked about methods, we talked about where this class would be going, and since it was only 3, hopefully everyone would get plenty of time and would be allowed to follow the path they needed.

I couldn't help but notice that Mrs. I'm Retired seemed a bit sheepish when we were discussing some of the aspects we'd be delving into. I asked her what she was thinking, what was up?? She said she had ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE... and that that was why she was here, because the course book said, "No experience necessary, just a desire to learn." I said she was right! We'd jump in wherever she was! She still looked really nervous. I prodded some more. And then she teared up a little bit and said, "I haven't done anything since high school." I told her I'd had a lot of people like that. High school desires got shelved for real life and decades later, they finally took those desires off the shelf! No problem! She then said, "No, you don't understand... my high school teacher said I had absolutely no talent and should never do art again... but I can't stop thinking about it and when I saw this course offered, I thought, this is my last chance... but I'm worried, what if I really can't do it??"

I was flabbergasted and said the first exercise would be hunting down the old art teacher so we could smack him/her upside the head. I said the mere fact that this has been calling her for DECADES was all I needed to hear, and that she did not need experience, but just had to be open. I told her she would start seeing things in new ways, and she'd never stop. Her response? I'm always trying to look at things with an open mind... always trying to find new ways of thinking. I guess I'm in the right place.

Yes, yes she is.

I just wish I could bottle some of her openness, some of the entire groups' enthusiasm, and share it with another group I know.

So, I have a new class with 3 people... who have no supplies. :) But they're 3 people who have the supplies I didn't really think of... they are OPEN!! They're not defensive! They're excited. They just want to explore. I can work with that.

Comments

[Jennifer]

And then SKRUNCH the alien burst out of her chest. Saw it coming a mile away.

Shhhhhh!!! That's the next installment!

I am impressed that Thundra's car uses such small batteries.

Yeah, but he goes through A LOT!

On the fifth day of zompocalypse
Pinko sent to me
F#$*ING 3 BULLS RA-A-A-ADIO!

Yeah, when do we light our torches and go burn down that radio tower!?!

NNNNTEWNS! I see your username and keep thinking you're spam. I get to the comment, expect to see Nike spam and am pleasantly surprised. I owe you an email.

[fish]

6 cobs a logging.

[fish]

Substance made me pee.

[Jennifer]

6 cobs a logging.

:)

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

Seven fishies freezing.

[fish]

8 vons unfiltered

[fish]

9 bats a painting

[Jennifer]

10 Zombie blogs a changin'

[Another Kiwi]

11 bloggy ceasars

[Miss Jane]

Wow... Really 109 comments already??? I personally could not wait to finish reading so I could send you a Woo Hoo!! Most Excellent!!

[Another Kiwi]

It would be a bastard of a job to remember which way around to have the batteries when you were putting them into Thundra's Honda. Unless it only uses two at a time or something. Is it more powerful than a Wii remote, thunder?

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

what are we ceasing, AK?