Last night I found myself in a fairly dense ring of people, average age about sixty, around a naked fat man taking up a variety of poses from Bacchus to Sumo. Anyone unable to guess what that was all about can relax - it was a life-drawing session.
For a while after leaving behind virtually my entire set of acquaintances it felt like a relief to cut down on their numbers. Just recently, though, I have been gradually realising that it is a good idea to mix with society a bit so as to broaden my outlook and add variety to my relationships. I seem to have met most of my friends by one or other of very few ways so far.
So after a few weeks delving, I found an art club which actually meets at a time when I can go - most of them seem focused on retirees, and meet during weekdays, but this one has its winter meetings at 7pm on Tuesdays.
Why art? Well, I enjoy drawing and painting, and I have plenty of scope for improvement. Also, it offers the most scope for complete freshness as, with one important exception, it isn't an activity I share with any of my current friends. On the downside, I'm not really sure I have time for another commitment (thinking of my last post and pondering whether I can add education to the list as well!). If it was only the art, I'd be happy plodding along solo, but joining a club of SOME kind feels like a good thing to do.
So I turned up to try the idea out last night, with mixed results.
The first thing that amused me was that it took quite a lot of determination just to get up and out of the house to get somewhere for seven in the evening. Normally, once I'm home, I'm settled. But only eighteen months ago, that was a way of life every weekday! However did I manage it?
Also on the negative side is that I haven't improved much at meeting and mixing. I suspect I give the impression of being quite laid-back, but I stress and dither and wander around feeling like a spare part. In actual fact, I was uncomfortable enough that my drawing wasn't up to much either, which kind of spoiled the point of going. Probably I should give myself a chance to get better, though, and it does prove that I need the practice at being part of a group.
It's a pleasant group, anyway. As expected, it's heavy on old folk (nothing wrong with that, of course) but not so much I feel really out of place, and if I was the youngest there then it probably wasn't by much. And I was fairly firmly in the middle of the ability spectrum, so that could have been worse. And it can never be bad to get on good terms with a selection of well-to-do people from an upmarket commuter town.
2 comments:
Good one! I imagine it must've taken quite a bit of courage for you to attend this 7pm 'meeting', so for that I offer hearty congratulations.
From my experience, practice and time (do I just mean the ageing process?!) do help reduce the nerves associated with mixing and meeting. Realising, too, that there are usually MANY other people in attendance who feel just as much of a 'spare part' as you do, helps proportionate one's nerves somewhat, I find.
Many many years ago I also went to an art class, and felt a bit of an odd addition to it. Mine was not a life class but one geared to ultimately doing Art A level. I was quite chuffed when the tutor said I should enter for the A level. Sadly when it came to it I got so stupidly nervous in the exam I totally flunked it. Well really - how can one do a decent drawing/painting under the pressure of time and assessment!! I got an O level for my pains though as compensation. Ah those were the days - I must have been only about 17 and we had only been out of the brethren for about 18 months.
I remember those days at the art class with pleasure - it was my evening away from home and I could be ME (whoever that was!). I remember one snowy evening being totally captivated by the huge flakes emerging from the dark night lit up as they descended by the occasional street lights. I still love the snow
Stick at it for a bit you might find as you get into it more that you gain a lot from it. That's my tuppeny worth for tonight!!
Post a Comment