Musings by Amy (Blog 1)

Valentine’s Day weekend was a bit surreal for me. V-Day weekend of 2020 was the first time we sold out a class and we sold out two. We had only been open a couple of months at that point and were so excited to have two sold out classes on our calendar. Two weeks after V-Day I could not give away seats because Covid19 had become a real thing. By St. Patrick’s Day we were closed since we are a non-essential business. We remained closed for four months.

During that time I started to become anxious about whether or not my little business could survive this pandemic. The anxiety felt very familiar. It was very much like the anxiety I felt everyday in my corporate job; the job I chose to leave to start my business. To help relieve that anxiety, I started painting. I was horrible at it, but I found it allowed my brain to focus on something enjoyable, which helped keep everything in perspective. My favorite painting classes were project pet. We had been preparing for our first project pet class prior to the shut down, so I told my artists to send me their pet pictures and we would do a practice run on our own pets. I submitted 8 pictures of my own pets with that practice run and several more since then. When I start to feel overwhelmed or unable to focus, I work on one of my pet portraits for a while. It really helps me get centered again and holds the anxiety at bay. And you know what?? I have actually learned how to paint! I have not binge-watched tv or read a ton of books like most of my (introverted) friends, but I have learned how to blend, dry brush, add high lights and low lights, and see colors differently than I ever had before. If you are feeling anxious or blue, art is a great outlet to help relieve that anxiety. Get out and do something creative.

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