what i've learned from art class

To catch you up you will remember that Jerry and I are taking a drawing class two nights a week at the local college. What started out as a class full (32) is now down to about 17. Jerry being the oldest in the class with the teacher right behind and me closely behind him all of the other students are early 20's. It is a great class and we are learning a lot but I am also learning a lot from the other students around me. Apparently Jerry and I are old school because we are actually at class on time and have all our materials ready. It amazes me how many of them show up not just late but an hour late, don't have their paper or pencils with them and bring in bags of fast food and sit around and eat and talk. One of the young men, who has a natural artistic talent, was over heard the other evening saying that he is "over this art stuff". He is so young and feels as tho he is" so over" what is a gift that he has been given. His work amazes me. And another young man slammed his pencil down the last class. The teacher asked him what was wrong and he said that his pencil had broken. Kris told him to go and sharpen his pencil. The young man announced that he had not planned on sharpening his pencil that night and was very frustrated about the pencil breaking. I thought this was very telling about ones personalities.... how we react to a situation. He could have a) gotten up and quietly sharpened his pencil and gotten on with his work, b) did what he did and cause a scene or c) thrown the pencil away and gone out and bought a new one. And then there are the students that rush through their projects and don't want to take the time to get the essence out of the piece. And yet there are others who are really enjoying the process, taking their time and produce beautiful work. There is one young man in particular that has such a natural talent and his work just leaves jerry and I in awe. He has a young child, works and this is his only time to be able to concentrate on his drawing. He has such an incredible future ahead of him if he continues with his talent. I think the most important thing that I have learned from all of them is that with age I have acquired wisdom, patience and an appreciation of what is around me. I hope that for each and every one of these young men and women that when they reach my age they will have acquired those traits too. And the last thing I would like to say to all of them is to be proud of your work, do your very best at what you are doing and when you sign your name to something be ready to stand up for it.