Painting

Image by y-its-mom via Flickr

I have phases of various activities. A few years ago I did a lot of painting and found that it was simultaneously wonderful and frustrating. Wonderful when I could paint a picture that I wanted to do in the manner I wished to express myself but frustrating when I could look at an object and not manage to transfer its likeness to paper (I never made it to canvas and stuck to watercolour and pastels). What impressed itself on my mind most in that time is the need to acquire the skill of really looking at something before attempting to sketch it. It really is not as easy as it seems and often takes several attempts to really look at what is in front of you. I also think that a good writer has the ability to paint with words the textures of landscapes and characters in a manner that gives them all depth.

Music, I find is similar. To make it work you have to be able to really listen to understand its harmony and depth.