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January/February 2008 Spirituality
Paint Happy

by Cristina Acosta

We've all seen amazing drawings and paintings by young children. Beautiful colors and design flow easily from a child unencumbered with limitations. Even if your childhood ended decades ago, you can still rediscover the open mind that comes naturally to a young child. Think like a child and disconnect your limitations. You'll naturally reconnect your creativity, resulting in art that emanates from the palette within you - the unique combination of life experiences and art skills only you have.

By the time my daughter, Isabella, was 18 months old, she was painting every day with me. Watching her, I couldn't help but notice that her experience of painting was entirely different from mine. She painted with complete abandon. She was never hard on herself. In fact, when she finished a painting that she really liked, she'd put her brush down and clap and cheer. If she didn't like it, she quickly pushed it aside and moved on.

During Isabella's toddler years, I was so inspired by her obvious happiness while creating that I decided to take an hour or so each day and paint in the same fashion. The more I opened my mind to painting with the attitude of a child - albeit a very experienced child - the more my work evolved. Within a few months, my style of painting had completely changed. My work flowed so naturally that the images seemed to paint themselves. I became passionately excited to rediscover that creating could be so simple. Learning to paint happy was the key that opened my creative soul.

Here are a few tips to get you started and then keep you connected to your palette within:

Play every day. Take five to 15 minutes daily and draw or paint something. Even if you only take a moment to rearrange the food on your plate or sit down with a child and have an art session, make some sort of art every day.

Paint like a child. A child usually paints from her mind's eye rather than re-creating a subject in front of her. Your memories and imagination feed your mind's eye. Painting from your mind's eye automatically conveys your unique perspective.

Smile when you paint. You'll look better, you'll probably feel better and you may even paint better.

Cristina Acosta is the author of Paint Happy! An artist, writer, home decor designer and color consultant, she loves the process of creating art in a variety of mediums while remembering to smile. Visit www.cristinaacosta.com.