Suzy Garner: Artfully Growing Old
There are seldom perks of growing old, but once in a while the stars align and it’s possible to score a senior discount.
Last year, I discovered an oldster freebie that’s a great opportunity. Since I’m of qualified senior status, I can audit almost any class I choose at our local community college for no tuition cost. To push my writing skills in new directions, I enrolled in a creative writing course. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to take another class this year. This time, I chose art.
I’ve never been one of those talented people considered, “artsy.” I noticeably lack the artistic genes flowing rampantly through the veins of my children. I can barely draw a stick figure and I know nothing of shading, colors or basic drawing skills. It seemed like a good idea to learn some drawing techniques to possibly illustrate the children’s books I write. It was a lollapalooza of an idea in theory ... but then I went to class.
I quickly discovered my concept of drawing was far and away from the definition we were using. Our class focused on creativity; a color obtrusively missing in my crayon box.
Our first assignment was to make a “drawing” (and I use the term loosely) with non-traditional materials. Everything I considered “non-traditional” actually fell into the opposite category of traditional resources. Nail polish and any kind of make-up was not permitted. I was completely and utterly stumped. Lipstick seemed like such a good idea, and I had a drawer full of it! Even macaroni was banned.
I was forced to climb out of my ancient, suffocating box. I had to think differently; creatively. This was a not-so-easy task for someone with over a half-century of traditionalist conditioning.
I confess, I thought of abandoning the class. It had become obvious I wasn’t going to learn to draw cutesy little animals for my book illustrations. Not by a long shot. I knew I needed to change my stuffy attitude and explore my environment for a solution to our instructor’s challenge. It happened in an unexpected way.
As a writer, I always look at life to find topics for my stories or essays. Sometimes, the most mundane events become sources of inspiration. As it turns out, artistic endeavors work the same way. Hallelujah!
I’d been racking my brain for artistic inspiration when I discovered it, of all places, in my laundry room. My washer had given up the ghost, and needed to be replaced. My dryer’s demise was imminent, having been surgically repaired and elderly, too. It seemed logical to purchase a new washer and dryer as a set.
While focused on my laundry woes and prepping for the removal of my old machines, I accidentally discovered my non-traditional “drawing” material. As I cleaned the screen from my old dryer one last time, it hit me. The lint I removed was my salvation! Lint was definitely a non-traditional drawing material. The accidental discovery was such a grand epiphany, I’m still tingling with joy. I merely had to create a picture using the puffy stuff.
Browsing through a local home store, I found a blue filter of some ambiguous kind. It was only $1.49, so I bought it, thinking I might be able to use it as background for my “drawing.” At first, I thought my picture would be an old fisherman with a beard, but as I worked, other ideas began to “wash” through my mind. Since my idea tumbled out of my head in a laundry room, wasn’t it fitting my subject might be Neptune, god of fresh water, and therefore, fresh laundry?
As I struggled to stitch and glue Neptune’s lint beard which continuously pulled apart, I began scanning my laundry room for other materials. A bar of soap became Neptune’s nose, carved with a kitchen knife and hot glued into place. Laundry pods became his eyes, carefully stitched around the edges to hold them under his thick brows. Clothespins completed his crown.
As I studied my work of “art,” I decided it needed a finishing touch. I bought a box of tide, dumped the soap into another container for future use, and cut the box into strips to create a decorative frame. Silly as he was, Neptune of the Laundry was born.
Finally, I believed I could stick with my art class and be successful. But then we were given another assignment. We were to use a traditional drawing material in an untraditional way!
Growing old doesn’t mean new experiences should be abandoned or shoved in a closet. Never give up on challenges to learn something new. In spite of aches and pains, artfully growing old makes life a whole lot more fun. Have you ever figured out how to make a crayon into a boy sitting on a swing? I have. Who knows what will be next!
Author’s bio: Suzy Garner is grateful to be challenged by new learning opportunities at Glen Oaks Community College. It’s one of the better senior perks she’s discovered. Besides, as it turns out, an old dog can learn new tricks. Next project: Abstract whales. What senior perks do you enjoy? Share them with Suzy at: artist4words@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: The Sturgis Writers’ Mill exists to create a community of writers who constructively encourage, support, and challenge each other as they discover their unique voices. Any opinion expressed is solely that of the author.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Suzy Garner: Artfully Growing Old
