Totally Out of Character!

  Long ago, I was told that it was ok to be a bit different than the rest of the world.  Back when they were in high school, one of my son's friends told me to "Embrace your weirdness...It is what we all like about you." Well, its good to know that I am weird!  (Thanks, Christopher!)  Anyway, it made me realize that I have to be who I am and not worry about being accepted by others.  This was a strange lesson for a kid to teach an adult but, hey, better late than never!  So, that said, I embraced my weirdness and became someone that I liked.  One of the things that this realization did for me was to open up a whole new freedom with my artwork.  If I wanted to paint something realistic....I could.  If I wanted to paint something "off the wall"....I could.  I was not aiming to please anyone but myself and the way I felt at the moment.  

  This evening, I sat down to do an owl painting for the upcoming clue hunt.  I seriously thought of going the realistic mode and grabbed a bunch of paints from the bin.  Ok!  This should be great!  Only with bad eyes and equally bad lighting, I had mistakenly picked purple paint instead of brown.  Well, there was only one thing to do!  Take a hike on the wild side!  So, I did.  My owl turned into something that I might have found in a color book from my toddler days.  Bright colors dominated, strange lines demanded attention, heavy brush strokes ruled.  The owl is weird but, in a strange way, quite sane.

  Every now and again, we all need to let loose and do something quite out of character.  It feels good.  We all have a bit of weirdness in us but most stifle it beyond recognition.  We are afraid to step out of the comfort zone and do something a bit wild.  My weirdness leads to some pretty interesting art pieces but I like it.  Thanks, Christopher!  Your advice holds true!