Of course, strictly speaking, there are none. Reasons, that is. Because if you paint for a reason, then you’ve already sort of lost the point. But this is a little exercise that will help you find it – the point of the painting. So, here goes:
1. That face
That’s why you should paint. Check out the sheer glee, the complete ecstasy, the unfettered joy on the face of every child who plays with color. And aim for that face. It’s like someone took the posed photo for social media and threw it out of the window, and then went ahead and replaced it with some good old old-fashioned authenticity. Paint has that effect if you allow it to go beyond the brush and canvas and seep into your soul. It makes you more real, more human and just that much more glad to be alive.
2. It pushes all the right buttons
When you replace the remote with the brush, you take the remote control of your life back into your hands for a bit. Think about it – that innocuous looking device that is supposed to remotely control a smart TV, instead, remotely controls the lives of the smart people who are fooled into believing that they are the ones doing the controlling! Let it go for a bit. Pick up a paintbrush instead. Experience the thrill of emotion running through the neural pathways as your fingers create magic instead of mundane!
3. It opens up a few new windows
You never even realized how it happened. Or when. But the good old days when windows opened to the sky seem to be behind you. Nowadays, you look into a variety of screens to open windows that lead you further and further away from yourself and that blue open sky. Shut them all down. Unfurl a canvas. Pick up a brush. Dip it into the paint and let your imagination fly. You will be quite amazed at how many windows suddenly open up – into worlds you never thought existed!
4. What Picasso said…
“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”
Pablo Picasso
That. Precisely that. No one could’ve said it better than he did. And we’re not going to add to a perfectly well-made point. You should paint because painting is just another way of keeping a diary. Enough said.
5. It’s cheaper than therapy
Kidding. Well, maybe not entirely. It’s quite a proven and accepted the fact that painting is great therapy. Not that we all need therapy, but everyone needs a therapeutic experience. And therein lies the great value of the humble brush, palette, and canvas – it can quite literally paint away the blues!
6. That Apron!
There’s nothing quite like that paint-splattered apron to make you feel like a bit of a mad creative genius! And that’s the closest some of us can get to the feeling! So here’s to your creativity. Let it rip. Spill it onto your apron and enjoy that space – of a person so involved in the art that the enjoyment splatters itself across your entire self, showing up as marks of honor on your apron!
7. Then there is the paint…
Your earliest childhood memories are ones of wonder, opening up a new paint box, seeing all those colors spread around you, watching the bright new crayons tumble fatly out of a new carton… we all have these memories. And then we grow up and the colors stay locked up in forgotten childhoods. What a pity. But all you need to do is pick up a brush, open up a new pair of eyes, and fall headlong into love again – with the colors that once brightened up your earliest memories!
8. It’s non-judgmental
Unlike most things in life, painting is just completely non-judgmental. It cares not about your prowess, your skill, your level of proficiency. It simply allows you to express yourself in ways that are empowering to you. Does your painting have to look like the work of a master – most certainly not! Does it have the power to make you feel a little bit like a master of your own canvas – most certainly!
9. It allows you to get lost and found!
You get to turn your back on the things that bother you every day. You get to take a well-deserved break from the stresses and strains of your life. You get to lose yourself in the captivating world of brushes, paints, and canvases. And then you get to find yourself – in the moments that take your breath away. What a privilege! Why would anyone not do it!
10. That face
To end where we started – that face. That’s why you should paint. Why everyone should paint. For a few precious life-changing moments and face that looks like that – happy, joyful, grateful to be alive!