I feel as though I have already learned a lot through my mid-year quest to have a new experience each week, and this week I learned that one of my good friends has an on-going quest of her own.
My friend Sara recently showed me her summer to-do list, which includes everything from going to the beach to writing a rap and recording a music video.
I loved that she had a list of her own. It’s been so fun for me to add new things to my regular routine and drag my friends along with me to do all these random things, and I had no idea that someone close to me was pursuing a similar goal.
Because the summer is sadly drawing to an end and many of her checkboxes are still empty, I decided to knock something off the list for her, and I picked painting on a canvas. I just didn’t tell her I was doing so.
We planned on meeting up for happy hour on an outside patio with two of our other friends, and I surprised them by bringing four small canvases with four paint markers.
We each took a canvas and marker and began making abstract designs. After some time, we each rotated our pens so that by the end of our rotations we each used all four colors.
My friend was so excited that I took it upon myself to randomly bring some art supplies to our regular get-together, and overall it went really well. It was reminiscent of a kindergarten class, especially with half of the group looking at the girl’s design next to her and copying elements from it. On the upside to that, the canvas pieces surprisingly went fairly well together when stacked up next to each other.
It even became a bit of a community effort as a few people around us became interested in what we were doing. I let new people I met add designs to my abstract canvas, and after some time we each contributed to each other’s pieces.
Maybe I’m biased, but I think they turned out quite nicely. Plus, now I have an artistic, original four-piece set to remind me of a few of my best friends and remind me of the great memory we just made.
I loved this activity for several reasons. It sparked new conversations and interest from random people. It made my friends happy and brought out a bit of nostalgia within our group. It gave us a creative outlet — which is something not to be undervalued.
In fact, creativity is an imperative guidepost to whole-hearted living, which is something studied by Brene Brown, a public speaker and author. She writes that there are 10 guideposts, one of which is to cultivate creativity.
Creative thinking and “play” stimulates our brains and thinking abilities. It’s easy to think that creative activities are important for young, developing minds, but it is equally if not more important for adults. It helps us to be vulnerable and expressive, and it helps us relax. This week I proved that it’s easy to make time for play and creativity during a routine schedule.
Four small canvases: $9. Four paint markers: $8. Four friends making memories and stimulating our brains: Priceless.
This is a weekly series about following through with a New Year’s resolution to have a new experience each week. To suggest topics or experiences, email alaina.akens@elizabethton.com.
Alaina O'Neal 