Heather Grace Stewart

One of the reasons I like sharing part of my world with you on this blog is to inspire others —especially those of you who don’t think you have a creative bone in your body—to try their hand at one or more forms of art. I’ve always loved writing, drawing, painting and photography, but I’m not equally good in each discipline. Each art form relaxes me in its own way, and gets my creative juices flowing.

Do you ever tire of one art and feel like your well has run dry? That’s the best time to take a break and try another art form altogether.

In my case, I needed a break from plotting and writing my novel. My 8-year-old daughter wanted to try acrylic painting, and while I wasn’t sure I could teach her much, I decided to try.

She painted a small treasure box with her name on it, and I tried to paint a garden on a wooden jewellery box. Next, she tried a Pegasus with magical pink clouds behind it. Then she tried to do exactly what I’d done: a hibiscus and hydrangea. And she wanted me to talk her through it!

What a challenge for me to try to explain how I paint. I’ve never explained it before. It was exercising a new artistic muscle for me, just to explain how I paint petals and light. I was also afraid to teach her the ‘wrong’ way, since I’m no expert!  But look at her face when she got her hibiscus the way she wanted. Such joy!

I’ve learned today that taking a break from an artistic project doesn’t mean you have to stop being creative altogether. I’ve also learned how working together as artists can be energizing and revitalizing.

I’m feeling refreshed and ready to get back to writing that novel tomorrow!