Eating Paste for Fun and Profit

I always wanted to be an artist. But naw, I couldn't do something like that. I was never couth that way. No. Not me, never an artist.

Sure, I had my various creative outlets, and they were certainly satisfying, but oh, sometimes I just wished I could draw.

I had artist friends. I could watch them for hours. Truly. The way the ink flowed out of their pens, or how quickly swirls of paint became roses and vines--I envied them their ink and paint.

Then some of those artist friends, specifically Pamila and Jen, taught me a thing or two about art. Mostly, it just takes a little bravery. Much as I hate to say it, the truth of one hackneyed phrase shines through: just do it.

Now I'm not here to talk about the great art lessons I stumbled upon, or the experience I got apprenticing to Jen, I want to tell you about Art Night. My friend Pamila has a tall white formica table that's got to be about 15 feet long. And she's also got every art supply your little heart could ever desire. In addition were her complaints that slogging through life was keeping her from painting.

One day I shyly suggested that I should come over with my brand new pad of newsprint and my freshly sharpened charcoal pencil and we should do art.

Pamila made a pot of tea, put on some music and we got to it. You should see the brilliant sketch of her kewpie doll I did that night! She berated me for claiming to have no talent. I felt like an artist!

Needless to say, Jen got wind of this and asked to join. And it stuck. We made it stick, though. Jen, with her new baby and fledgling design studio, desperately needed a regularly scheduled quiet night of tea, art, and friends. So each Art Night we made a point of scheduling two more. I'm still not confident enough to sit around "doing art" on my own. I need to be spurred on, and Art Night gives me a kick in the flanks.

It's something I wouldn't normally do, but oh do I love doing it. Now I'm nosing around for a writing group. Heck, pretty soon I'm gonna be lousy with art!

--Joanna Rubiner