The Journey Inward

I've never been an artist,
couldn't draw, paint or sketch,
though I admired the talent greatly,
and always had the itch.

Take a class, just give a try,
my people would encourage,
but I knew it was no use,
and so I felt discouraged.

Then during a winter visit,
with my 20 something niece,
I sat at the counter beside her,
as she composed a lemon-y piece.

Paint by numbers, she advised me,
was the trick to how it worked,
so I picked up a spare paintbrush,
to join the handiwork.

Shocked by the emerging beauty,
that together we were creating,
I bought some pieces of my own,
and tried acrylic painting.

The first one was a little rough,
but still so beautiful,
the next one was just gorgeous,
I loved how it made me feel.

Running out of wall space,
I've taken a needed break,
but my writing group has signed up,
for a watercolor class to take!

Maybe this was cheating,
because the design wasn’t mine,
but without these bumper guard rails,
I would never have even tried.


Creativity isn't about,
the level you achieve,
but the act of creating something,
and the joy that you receive.

Photo:  My 3 paint-by-numbers paintings!  Winter/Spring 2025 by LA