messy masterpieces!

sometimes the universe throws curveballs at you, not to mess up your life, but because it knows you can handle it! the ability to take something messy and turn it into a masterpiece is a gift. i remember in middle school art class, the eighth graders got to paint the ceiling tiles of our art room before we graduated. i had looked forward to that day for three years. When the day came that it was my turn to decorate my panel, i knew exactly what i wanted to paint. i grabbed two paintbrushes, green and gold paint, reached across to grab a pencil, and my elbow accidentally knocked the green paint directly on top of my perfectly clean ceiling tile. a huuuuge glob of green sat triumphantly on my canvas, and i felt like my world was ending. this had ruined my plan i had prepared for almost three years! fortunately, my embarrassment and hunger to control the situation saved me from feeling like all was lost. i spread the green paint around in the shape of a huge turtle shell, and continued creating a very wet, very amateur turtle-creature. it was the best i could do with a spill of green fast-drying paint. now this was no masterpiece, but it fits the idea of turning messy into a "masterpiece." i wasn't very proud of the artwork, but i was definitely proud of myself. sometimes things happen and you just have to roll with it!

this applies to day to day messes as well. in relationships, in cooking, in conversation, in daily routines, adapt, adapt, adapt! if something isn't going the way you planned, it's okay! use it as an opportunity to expand your creativity and think in a way you aren't accustomed to. i think adapting is the way to evolve as a person or artist, adapt to your situation, solve the problem, and learn and grow from it. if i hadn't been clumsy enough to spill green acrylic paint all over my canvas, i would never know how to do some quick thinking and make something out of chaos. reshape the mess, reform the mess, recycle it into something productive and beautiful and you will grow!