New Activities - Month Five

[smallhobbit]

September has been a month for doing new things, of various types.

At the beginning of the month I took an all day sketching workshop.  I learnt some things, and had a chance to experiment with some different media, which was good.  But the person who was leading the day concentrated on learning to sketch and create in a similar way to what he did, so when it came to the one-to-one assistance in the afternoon he was stressing how I should be trying a certain way, when what I wanted would have rather more basic.  Yes, I learnt some things, and had it been simply a morning, and the cost of a morning, I would have been very happy with it.  As it was, I didn't feel I got as much benefit from it as I should have done.

As some of you know, I volunteer with Gloucestershire Bundles, a local baby bank (like a food bank but with clothing and equipment for babies/mother-to-be/children).  At the beginning of the month I went to a committee meeting - committee is a fairly loose term, it was all those volunteers who were interested and able to come.  There I said I might be interested in helping raise funds by applying for grants, and so joined the grant application team.  I met the team leader on Friday, and am now going to be applying for small grants to various organisations.  I have half wondered why I'm doing yet another activity, but it's a charity I believe in very firmly and I want to support it, and this is one way I can do so.

And lastly I went to Cardiff yesterday and met the delightful luthienberen .  We wandered round about half of the art collection in the Cardiff Museum and then went for lunch in M&S café (chosen because it wouldn't be full of football/speedway fans).  It was lovely getting to meet her and I've very glad we managed to meet up.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Glad the new things are coming along. I am impressed by all you're taking on. Nice to connect with online friends.

[smallhobbit]

As with everything it's going to be a matter of keeping the balance right.

It's definitely good to connect with online friends.

[luthienberen]

It was indeed a lot of fun meeting up! :=) I think we chose wisely considering how bustling the streets were lol.

I am impressed by how much you have on and wish you all the best with it.

[smallhobbit]

The streets were very crowded - and I'm still glad we caught the earlier train home.

And thank you very much.

[corvidology]

That can be the problem with a lot of creative classes that the person teaching it is an artist first and so doesn't really understand how to teach outside of the exact way they do it themselves.

It does sound like a great charity to be involved with and how lovely to get to meet an online friend.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, you're right. Which is why a half day learning something new would have worked, but a whole day when I had hoped for specific help didn't.

It's a very worthwhile, local charity.

[adafrog]

Good luck with the grants.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[margaret_r]

Hope all goes well with obtaining the grants, it's such a worthwhile cause. At least you gained some benefit from the sketching workshop, even if it wasn't as much as you'd hoped.

[smallhobbit]

With the grant applications, I suspect it will be 'win some, lose some' but whatever I get will be worth it.

Yes, I did learn some things, but the sense of an opportunity partly wasted persists, despite my best efforts.

[ellieet]

I recall the Hay Festival last year when my stepmother and I attended a life-drawing class. We were encouraged to just spend some time looking at the model and drawing without putting our eyes on the paper or taking the pencil off. I was a rubbish artist but it was fun to be given that sense of...do-it-your way, you know? My stepmother on the other hand is a very good artist and is sometimes commissioned to create pieces for friends. Sorry that the class wasn't all you wanted it to be.

Cardiff is a great city; I consider it a privilege to have been able to live there for three years. They may not have been the happiest years of my life for various reasons and I don't plan to go back anytime soon but to say, 'Yeah, I lived in Cardiff' is still pretty cool! :D Glad you had fun.

[smallhobbit]

There was some of that, which was good - and with the object we were drawing being moved around with only a couple of minutes to make a sketch. All of which I was happy with. As I said half a day would have been fine - I just wanted more from a full day.

I like Cardiff, although I don't go that often. It's only an hour away by train so quite accessible.

[debriswoman]

Good to catch up here...the charity sounds very worthwhile and they are lucky to have you:-)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. Yes, sadly the charity is very worthwhile.