A fine mess
I was out in the country visiting my family and complaining/freaking out about stuff. My sister Eva, who was painting at the kitchen table with A., said “Want to come make some therapeutic fold-over envelopes?”
I looked over at what they were doing and said, “Yes. Yes I do.”
They were busy making those fold-in-half symmetrical paintings like you make in like, primary school. You know, where you fold the paper in half and then apply paint randomly on one side, then fold it over while the paint’s still wet, smushing it onto the other side. (Smushing may not be a word but it’s the only one to use here.) Just using envelopes because that was what was on hand.
It had been so long since I’d made these, and so long since I’d made a nice, big paint-y mess. And talk about therapeutic- it was WONDERFUL. We all just couldn’t stop.
Some of them turned out neat, some odd, some unexpected, but what was nice was that it didn’t really matter what they turned out like. It was about doing. Playing with colours and enjoying them.
There’s so much in our lives where the end result matters, so when you free yourself from that, it is totally relaxing, and fun, and calming.
And I love it when I can do something with the kids that makes us all equally excited.
Even little EA was mesmerized, and content to watch and play with some (well-sealed) paint tubes.
