by Naomi Rose, staff member, rock band director.
Have you ever wished you could be an artist? Well today is your lucky day! All you have to do to become an artist is… MAKE ART.
By definition: Noun: a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby. (This can also be dancing, creative writing/journaling, photography, etc. You get it.)
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that making art is good for your brain. It unlocks BOTH sides of your brain and increases memory, reduces stress, promotes creativity… (The more you create, the more inspiration you gain!) So get out there and make some cool stuff. It doesn't have to be “good” or show a high level of skill. The end result is not the point.
Let’s say that again: THE END RESULT IS NOT THE POINT. You get all the benefits of making art by just participating in creating. The result doesn’t matter! Where else in life does the result not matter? The end result at your job matters. The end result in your parenting and relationships matter. The end result in your baking and cooking matters. The end result in your artwork DOES NOT MATTER. You still get all the good brain fireworks that create healthy pathways to your ‘feel good’ center in your brain even if your masterpiece turns out looking like a blob of ribbons and glue gun misfires. It’s like the ultimate participation trophy in life!
You don’t have to make “fine” art...whatever that is (don’t get me started on that topic). You don’t even have to work at developing your artistic skills if you don’t want to. You can just create beautiful messes if you wanna! Or ugly messes. It doesn’t matter! JUST MAKE SOMETHING.
Here’s an example most anyone could try (this is fun to do with kids, or just by yourself. Add some music and/or screaming, dancing, yelling, singing, and you’ll REALLY feel the happy “release” in your body) ...
Get some huge sheets of paper. You can go to Hobby Lobby and get rolls of paper. OR go to Walmart and get a roll of craft paper. It comes rolled up like a roll of wrapping paper. Staple it (or use some clamps) to a big board and lean it against the garage or a tree or somewhere you can hose down later (I’ve used a picnic table leaning up against a fence...whatever works). Grab some old tennis balls, or those squishy pool bombs/balls. Scrounge up some old paint (leftover latex, tempera paint from the kids’ closet, or even some nice acrylic paint if you’re feeling fancy) and some paper plates. Roll the balls around in the paint, take a deep breath, and then throw the balls with a fit of rage/passion/joy/excitement/confusion, etc. and enjoy the aimless splatters you create.
You’ve just become an artist! Congratulations!
You can wait for it to dry and then cut the paper into sections and make greeting cards! Or your own custom wrapping paper! Or cut it into 8x10 pieces and frame them and send them to your friends for a happy little gift. Or you can just wait for it to dry and then toss it in the bin. BECAUSE THE END RESULT DOESN’T MATTER. What matters is that you had fun, you released some expressions from your body, you MADE something, and you became an artist.
A word of caution: If you use tennis balls, be careful how hard you throw them. They bounce back faster than a teenager with a good, mouthy comeback. But, I mean, this is also a good cardio workout...jumping around and avoiding being hit by your paint balls ;) Don’t worry about it if you use the pool bombs - throw those suckers as hard as you want.
Set up some paint splatters with your friends or family this weekend. Heck, just do it yourself. It’ll be fun. If someone tells you what you’re doing isn’t art, turn up your nose and tell them Jackson Pollock disagrees. Welcome to the hive, new artist! We’re happy you’re here. PLEASE SEND US pictures of your splatter creations! Send them to naomi@eiaaprogram.org. We’ll show off your creations if it’s cool with you.