Believe in Yourself

When I was in fourth grade, I joined an art club just because my friend is there. My friend is really a talented one, she already paints that time, and I? I am a wannabe artist... up to this time. I thought if I join the club, I would learn the techniques as well and be like my friend. I had always admire her sketches and paintings. Little did I know, it was a club of real talented youth: everyone, except I, can at least draw, if not paint. But I never felt left out, though I belittled myself. The other members taught me their skills. The adviser treated me like just anybody else. I had fun, but I left the club after a year. It is because I thought to myself, "get real girl! You aren't an artist. You don't belong there."

Now the club adviser is also our art teacher. She asked me the following year why I left the club. I told her the truth, I don't think I belong. She asked me who told me that and I said, I just think so. She shook her head and said, "the club misses you. No one thought nor see you don't belong." And I think, she's one of the best teacher I ever had. She believed in me eventhough I don't believe in myself. She commissioned my friend to paint the walls of our new art room and she told me to help out. Even if I was no longer part of the club, they still considered me as one of them.

I still can't paint as good as my friend, who already has an atelier in the USA. But I am forever grateful to my gradeschool art teacher and the whole art club for showing me that I can, if I put my heart into it. For now, I just satisfy myself coloring these books that are currently in the market, just like the one in the picture which I colored from Johanna Basford's  Mein verzauberter Garten: Eine Schatzsuche (original title: Secret Garden) coloring book.

You may look like you don't fit in, but it doesn't matter. Just take what you can learn from it and continue to believe in yourself. Each of us is good at something. Just believe...

Art Appreciation

I used to not like art. I tried since grade school days to at least love to draw, but I always end up in frustration. I realized that art is not on my blood, hence I avoided it all in the past, which is actually easy to do in the Philippines. It is because, in order to see real great art, you must be ready to spend some amount of money, which is sadly a difficult thing for me.

Until I got an opportunity to travel to Germany. First impression: wow! Europe is for me a very  large museum, with Germany as the section for middle age art. I fell in love and my appreciation for art came back. I haven't seen it all yet in Europe, but so far, I am already satisfied. The grandiose cathedrals and schloss are enough for me to say how great are the masterminds of these buildings.

The modern times would of course not let it pass, even the modern graffittis have something to say. They are not just graffittis made by kids, they are skillfully made too, to match the grandiosity at the background.

I wish I could be also an artist in my own way.