I love art! I especially enjoy watching children create it. When my children were younger, we engaged in a lot of art activities together. I would lay out various supplies and let them explore their creativity. Some days, I had specific instructions or planned activities, like creating an aquarium or painting pots for their teachers. Other days, I simply allowed them to follow their own imaginations. There was always some type of art session happening at our dining room table, whether it was for my children or any niece, nephew, or neighborhood friend who came by our home.

Now that my children are older, they use the supplies to make gifts or cards for others. I also utilize these materials for my art classes at The Heart of It in Aquebogue during the summer and at the preschool where I work. Over the years, I have curated a collection of art supplies, including acrylic paints, oil pastels, Posca pens, Kwik Stix, colored tissue paper, pens, markers, crayons, canvases, all kinds of books about art and sketchbooks—I’ve got it all! The one thing I need to focus on now is making more art myself. I loved art as a child, but I never had supplies like these, and I often wonder what I could have created if I had more opportunities. I’ve been creative my whole life, but when I had children, my focus shifted to providing materials for them to create with. Now, I have everything I need to sit down and create, and I even have a wonderful art space in the basement. I wish we had that when the kids were younger, but it’s nice to see all the marks, scratches, and paint left on our table from the many years of art they created.

I’m starting to feel like it’s now my turn to start exploring and create. To use these supplies myself. It’s a bit scary though to just let loose like a child does. I love how children just dive right in and touch and get right down to making marks. They just dot and glide, and move their little hands across the page. No right, no wrong, no rules, no care. That’s how I want to paint. All a child needs is a piece of paper and a crayon, and they light up and start creating. I, on the other hand, have every tool imaginable but struggle to sit down and make a mark. My excuse most days is that I’m a busy mom with no time, but the truth is, I just need to create something, and that doesn’t require much time. I only need a few minutes each day. Above all, I need to ignite a spark! Like that day on the porch! I embraced the moment and went for it.

It’s like having all the firewood needed to create a beautiful fire but lacking a match to light it. Many of us can relate to this feeling. We gather all the gear for skiing but never plan a ski trip, we buy every fishing pole but never cast a line, and we prepare the perfect resume but never press the send button.

It’s time to move forward. I don’t need any more supplies or firewood—it’s time to sit back and enjoy the fire.

Mixed Media Art