I had to take an art education class in college. To my surprise, this art class for educators had nothing to do with how to teach or incorporate art into our classrooms. No, this class was designed to help future teachers internalize that art isn’t just finger paints or fancy drawings. The structure of the class allocated 3 hours a week to do whatever we wanted in a room full of every art supply you could imagine, as long as we completed four different art projects by the end of the semester.
 
Well, this freedom that I as an education major had never experienced before lead me to some frustration. Because I was never told exactly what to do or how to do it, I had to rely on my instincts. What is it that I like to do? What have I never done before that I would like to try? The answers to these questions became my motivation in this class.
 
I dabbled in many disciplines that semester. Calligraphy, print making, canvas stretching, watercoloring, and bookmaking were just a few.
 
In the end, this class taught me three things:

1. I love watercolors, printmaking and typography.
2. I could be a “legit” blogger even if I didn’t feel like I had “something to offer” to the rest of the blogging community.
3. Art is doing, creating, dreaming, making and doesn’t have set rules.

Your assignment: Make something.  
 
Take this assignment and run with it. If you’ve always wanted to quilt, buy some fabric and get started. If you’ve always wanted to blog, start a blog. If you’ve always wanted to build a kitchen table, go gather some wood. The point is to allow yourself to try something new or create something without the pressure of a deadline, a client, or even an agenda.
 
For me, I picked up my watercolors again (yes, those are Crayola watercolors. I’m a teacher, remember?) and painted something for CLC’s very own Jordan.
 
Until next time, go create!

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> read more lessons in inspiration posts by ashley here

design elements by CREATE LIKE CRAZY design studio