One of my goals for retirement was to explore art. I decided to start now but start small and ordered some inexpensive watercolor paint sets and some brushes and paper. What started as something new to try for me has turned into so much fun with my grandkids.
This past summer we invited each set of two grandchildren (we have four total) up for nearly a week for what we called “Nana Camp.” I’ll tell my Nana Camp stories in a future blog but one of the most enjoyable activities we did was “art class.”
I am not an artist but discovering YouTube has been nothing short of amazing. I ordered on Amazon and in a few days, I had everything I needed. Once you have your supplies, you can just search for “watercolors for beginners” and there are hundreds of 5 – 15 minute step by step tutorials to choose from. I usually set up everything for the kids (and even my husband) on the countertop. When the paint, the paper, and the water are all ready, we just push play on a video. Some videos have relaxing background music and others have the artist explaining what they are doing. It is easy to follow along and start and stop as needed.
We usually begin with one painting and then the kids want to do another one and then they want to “free form” and paint whatever they want. I think those art projects are my absolute favorite. I get to see their creativity and what they are thinking about. They can’t wait to share their art with their parents when they get home from work
I’ve shared on the podcast that with virtual school due to the pandemic and my kids needing help that I’ve been taking time off to assist when work schedules aren’t lining up well for my children. Every time I come, we add “art class” to the curriculum. It is relaxing and fun and uses a different part of our brains than reading and math.
Our conversations are rich and in the end, we have something to put on the wall or a postcard to send to a friend or family member. I’m learning that in retirement, for just a few dollars, I can have hours of enjoyment with my kids and grandkids as we learn together to “paint with watercolors”.
Barbara is the new star of the Rock Your Retirement show! For one year, she'll let Kathe Kline tag along as she goes through her retirement journey.
