When Anna worked downtown she passed The Art Garage daily on her route between work and home. The Art Garage building, an old service station, always caught her eye as a really interesting place. Still, it took her ten years of commuting to walk through the door.
"It's hard to be bad at things as an adult," she says. Picking up a new skill felt scary. As kids, we learn new things all the time, but adults are supposed to be already good at hobbies. Anna had never taken a formal art class, even in school, so starting something new took courage.
Anna had grown curious about watercolor online. She liked its imperfection, and that it could be precise too. Eventually, she signed up for a four-week class.
Anna expected something like school, with rubrics and a checklist of skills. What she found instead was a come-as-you-are studio.
Her instructor kept reminding the class that this was their art. They were allowed to like what they made even if there were “mistakes.” There was no right or wrong interpretation. "I was delightfully surprised," Anna says.
She was also glad to be in a small class of adults who took it seriously, many of them first-time learners like her. Everyone had taken the same risk by showing up.
Classes met after work, so they never conflicted with her job. It was a place to let the workday go, put paint to paper, and do something just for fun. "It's a vulnerable process," Anna says, "but there was no pressure at all."
The week-to-week format made the difference. A one-time paint-and-sip night would not have kept her going, she wouldn’t have felt successful. Four weeks with the same small group gave her the reps to build muscle memory, and the wish to keep practicing.
Anna also looked at another studio nearby. The Art Garage was more affordable, and the class size was right. "Small classes," she says. "Made the learning more approachable."
Now she finds the learning itself relaxing, even when it's hard. Her goal is to paint Christmas cards for friends and family.
Anna hopes more adults will lean into learning something new, not to master a skill but for the joy of being creative.
She also has a hope for The Art Garage itself: that it keeps getting the funding it needs. "Every nonprofit struggles with funding," she says. She wants the mission to continue, the staff to be happy, and everyone to keep doing some art.
Our adult classes include all materials and never have more than eight students, so every beginner gets real time with a working artist.”
Your gift helps keep small, affordable classes like Anna's open to every adult who's been waiting for the courage to try.
