"No Tree Looks Like That!"
My Paint and Sip Adventure
By Shanti Joy Gold
“No tree looks like that!”
I was pretty sure I just said that out loud. Yep, I did.
I could feel my face get hot and flush.
The Paint and Sip instructor had specifically advised us to use the tip of the brush to form this branch.
Yet I plunged the brush down, forming a trunk-like appendage near the top of the tree.
Well, that just looks ridiculous. How could I do that, especially when she JUST told us the correct way?
Apparently the red wine’s potentially-mellowing effects were no match for my anxiety.
OK, let me state the obvious here. I’m no Picasso. And this was meant to be a fun outing with friends that offered a bit of space to be creative. Instead, I allowed my perfectionistic tendencies to take over and turn an otherwise-beautiful day upside down.
I tried to remedy the painting. Nothing worked. There was simply no hiding it…no recovering.
I think I tried to put on a brave face for my friends, but inside I was churning.
OK, let me state the obvious here. I’m no Picasso. And this was meant to be a fun outing with friends that offered a bit of space to be creative. Instead, I allowed my perfectionistic tendencies to take over and turn an otherwise-beautiful day upside down.
There’s a gift here, though. The ridiculousness of it all was immediately apparent to me. While I’d made strides toward being more relaxed and go-with-the-flow, clearly there was room for growth.
Here’s what I’ve learned since…. We all view the world through a lens that is shaped by our particular experiences. It’s important to understand why we react the way we do in certain situations. Once armed with this awareness, we can choose a lens that better serves us.
Today, if I felt the stress start to creep in, I’d recognize what was starting to happen and why stress often takes over for me in these moments. I would then choose to:
⦿ Stare at the thick branch on my canvas and laugh (because truly, that branch was FUNNY)
⦿ Get creative with the tree versus try to “fix” it
⦿ Allow my abilities and accumulated wisdom to kick in
⦿ Look gratefully around the room at my friends, smiling and sipping and covered in paint
Professional coaching has taught me these same principles – which I summarize at Grow with a Pro as “you got this, go play!” It’s exciting to work with high achievers to discover their version of this formula and achieve sustainable success.
If my former self had applied these principles, who knows what cool things might have emerged on the canvas?
And rather than “No tree looks like that!” I’d probably lead my friends in a toast to the tree-branch-trunk thingy…and laugh again.
PS – the photo is of me on a happier Paint and Sip day 🙂