In September of 2020, I went to a paint and sip party to celebrate one of my best friends’ birthday, and this was the only reason to voluntarily go to a place where they were many new people and attempt to socialise, yes there is the occasional wedding here and there, I usually attend those with a fascinating novel that I disappear into. My strength usually is staying in bed and coming up with reasons to get out of existing commitments to go out or small gatherings with my favourite people. 

I hadn’t painted since the days when we were forced to take Fine Arts in secondary school, but here I was replaying all advice I read online to make small talk and meet new people. 

The way the event ran, there was loud music, art supplies at the centre of the room and I will christen the presenter ‘’Paint Maters’’ gave us the theme of our painting for that evening it was going to be ‘’New Beginnings.’’

When I heard ‘’New Beginnings’’ I knew what I needed to paint my name ‘’Ore’’ in the brightest colours.  I always imagine that if my existence will be presented in colour, it will be various blue shades, I am always cold never heating up enough to be red but just enough to be electric blue. 

But at that moment I wanted to be different, I wanted to experience living through different lenses to have the powers to talk freely on the first day of meeting someone and not overthink to just be present. 

In the spirit of New Beginnings, if I wasn’t going to have this different experience, I could live vicariously through the words on the canvas. 

Once my painting was done, I promptly found a place to curly up and continue existing in the comfort of the words the book I was reading provided because blue in its varying shades is also perfect.