I don\u2019t really know the politically correct term for \u201cType A\u201d. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s probably not \u201cType A\u201d or \u201canal retentive\u201d or \u201cneat freak\u201d but maybe it\u2019s \u201cperfectionist\u201d? However, I do think we all have someone in our life who\u2019s kind of like this (Andrea).
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My perfectionist friends tend to keep their spaces spotless. They clean up afterward without even asking if they should. Their paint cups usually don\u2019t even look as if they\u2019ve been used, and they almost always clean their brushes really well. This is really nice for me. I won\u2019t say I don\u2019t enjoy it. I mean, three less brushes to clean. Paint goes into our paint bin without having to fight with the lids to put them back on. What\u2019s not to like? Okay, maybe it\u2019s not all roses and wine. I have noticed, on occasion, that my perfectionist friends tend to paint just a little bit slower than all of our other friends. You can sometimes find them still painting, even after we\u2019ve closed the shop and turned off the lights. Okay, maybe not quite. It\u2019s all good, though. We completely understand that they\u2019re simply not satisfied with mediocrity. This is a good thing, right?!
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The Hot Mess<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Messy art is the best art. At least that\u2019s what we were always told. Or maybe you\u2019re a firm believer in Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus and her admonishment that we should \u201cTake chances! Make mistakes! Get Messy!\u201d And boy do our hot mess friends get messy! Our hot mess friends generally mix their paints freely on the paper that covers our tables. Sometimes they do it in their own space, but most of the time, they do it in their neighbor\u2019s space, as well. Their wine glasses tend to be covered with colorful fingerprints, and acrylic paint tends to coats the palms of their hands, fingers, arms, and sometimes their faces. And of course, their aprons. Our messy friends also seem to be having the most fun during our events, as well. They don\u2019t mind that their cup of white is now an off shade of pink because they accidentally (or on purpose) mixed red with it. Their brushes lay cattywampus at odd angles in front of their easels, covered in paint from bristles, to barrel, to handle. But you know what? It\u2019s all good. We completely understand that they\u2019re with us to be creative and have fun. And this too, is a good thing. The Partier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can always identify them by the song of their people\u2026 \u201cHey y\u2019all, I\u2019m here to partaaaaaaay!!!!\u201d Our partier friends are almost always our loudest friends. They love life, they\u2019re down for just about anything, and sometimes, they\u2019ve probably even had a few drinks before they came down to paint and sip. Any time they\u2019re at a paint and sip, you can rest-assured it won\u2019t be a dull event. And of course, this is all good. It wouldn\u2019t be a painting party if we didn\u2019t have someone who was there to \u201cpartaaaaaay\u201d! The Comedian<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahh, the comedian. These friends are Andrea\u2019s favorite. She loves them because they generally give me just as much of a hard time as I give out, and she\u2019s always down for me getting back some of what I give. Much like our partier friends, these friends are here to have fun, be fun, and make fun (mostly of me). They generally don\u2019t care how their painting turns out, and in many cases, they go completely off the reservation and paint their own thing. And sometimes they manage to help their neighbors, too. Again, they add a liveliness to our paint and sips that is only matched by our partier friends. Honestly, even I love the funny ones, because without them, I\u2019d be the only one cracking jokes. And most of the time, they\u2019re just bad dad jokes, anyway. Which kind of isn\u2019t a good thing. The Fearful<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This friend comes in, looks at their one ounce cups of paint and wonders silently if there will be enough. I can always spot my fearful friends because they never use enough paint. Their brush strokes are generally short and tentative. Usually, there are two or three at every paint and sip who do this. When I give them some good natured grief about it, they always tell me they just want to make sure they have enough paint for the painting. Rest assured, this won\u2019t be an issue, and, if it is, we have more paint! I realize the cups only hold one ounce of paint, but each one of those cups can literally cover the canvas. I promise, I\u2019ve actually tried this! Some of my dearest paint and sip friends are still afraid to use the paint, but what I love, is that when they\u2019ve come to more than one or two events, they begin to show a confidence that allows them to start really covering their canvases. This sometimes leads to them becoming\u2026 The Fearless<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After a few paint and sips, my fearless friends really get into it, they cover their canvas from top to bottom, impasto style, with thick globs of paint and bold brush strokes. I love it when this happens, because that\u2019s when I really start seeing the creativity begin to happen. It truly is an act of bravery to put a brush into paint and then apply it to a canvas and simply trust your instincts. When this happens, it\u2019s always a good thing. The Frazzled<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I tend to think almost everyone falls into this category. I\u2019ve always believed that any type of art could be therapeutic. I\u2019m sure there are plenty of studies that back this up, too, but I\u2019m simply too lazy to Google them. I love seeing these friends come to our events. They\u2019re the ones who you can tell have maybe had a rough week or a rough day. Most of them flat out say, \u201cI come here because this is my therapy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When they sit down and begin painting, you see the start of a curl of a smile on their lips, and as the evening progresses, the smile becomes broad, is followed by laughter, and when the evening is finishing up, they seem to be in a better place and so much happier then they were when they began. And of course, this is definitely a good thing. The Mom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This friend almost always a mother of two, or three, or toddlers, or teens (sorry dads, I have yet to see a man fall into this category). But the excuse is always the same, \u201cIf I don\u2019t clean it up, I\u2019ll feel weird because I\u2019m always telling my kids they need to clean up after themselves, and so I want to set a good example.\u201d And to that, I say, \u201cOf course you do.\u201d And I get it. I\u2019ve found that most moms are the ones who are holding the household together with a little bit of spit, vinegar, and duct tape. For that, I applaud you. But please, let us clean up for you. You came down to have fun, paint, maybe sip on some vino and have a good time. There\u2019s absolutely no reason for you to ever clean up after yourself down at Uncorked Inspiration. Okay, well, maybe there are, but most of the time that involves paint being spilled and tracked around your area, but that\u2019s usually \u201cThe messy one\u201d, who we\u2019ve already talked about. But seriously, let us clean up for you. The best part is, you\u2019ll get to watch me clean up, and from what I\u2019ve been told, it\u2019s very rare for women to get to see a man clean up much of anything. The Nope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, she drug him by the scruff of his neck to the paint and sip event. This friend is there because his significant other wanted to go to a paint and sip, but didn\u2019t want to go alone. He\u2019s not necessarily against it, but he\u2019s not exactly too sure about it, either. Oh, and yes, most of the time, (all of the time in my experience) this friend is male. I know that sounds sexist, but if it changes, I\u2019ll come change this post. You can spot these friends by their straight face. Sometimes, they even have a scowl. I\u2019ve even had one pull me aside and growl, \u201cI\u2019m only here because she brought me.\u201d But you know what happens nearly every single time? These guys end up having more fun than the person who brought them. And for me, they\u2019re a challenge. I want to ensure that they have fun. So I always make it a point to come around, chat with them, crack a joke with them (sometimes about their painting, sometimes about their bald spot, it all depends). And in the end, they usually seem to have a pretty good time. Oh, and that one who specifically took me aside at the beginning of the event? He took me aside at the end of the event and told me, \u201cThis is the most fun I\u2019ve had in a long time! I\u2019m glad I came!\u201d And you know darn well that was a good thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Artist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every now and then, we\u2019ll have a friend come to our events who is very serious about painting. They\u2019re almost one of the \u201cType A\u201d friends in that they want to strive for getting a painting that looks awesome and is well-crafted. Sometimes, they bring their own brushes. Their own palettes, and palette knives. They might even bring their own paints. What they\u2019re generally looking for is some advice. \u201cHow do I create this blend?\u201d \u201cShould I try this?\u201d Or \u201cShould I use a different type of paint?\u201d I love that they ask questions, and I love seeing them progress as artists. The serious friends, most times, take their paintings home and either work more on them, or completely redo them. Their goal is to learn how to be better painters, and I applaud them for that effort and I\u2019m always happy to give whatever advice I\u2019m able. The Rebel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes this friend is a mix of the messy one, the partaaaaay, and the funny one. But no matter what, they always do exactly what they want. Sometimes they have a plan and right out of the gate will tell me, \u201cI\u2019m not gonna\u2019 do this painting, I have something else in mind.\u201d I smile, look at them, and say, \u201cI\u2019ll help you as much as I\u2019m able, but you do you.\u201d I\u2019ve found that many times, these friends are our younger painters. The teenagers, the eleven-year olds, the ones who haven\u2019t learned to be afraid of art, yet. They haven\u2019t been told they can\u2019t and so they don\u2019t worry about it. These painters are truly one of my favorites. And when they come back, I love seeing their techniques develop and how they try new and different things. In most cases, they end up teaching me things, rather than me teaching them. And that\u2019s a pretty damn good thing, too. The Pessimist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is going to turn out like crap!\u201d I\u2019m always a bit bummed when I hear this, and sadly, I hear it fairly often during our paint and sip events. I always worry about my friends who are concerned about whether or not their painting will turn out\u2026 good\u2026 bad\u2026 okay\u2026 ugly\u2026 or \u201clike crap\u201d. In my mind, I\u2019m wondering what has brought on this insecurity? Did they have an art teacher who told them they needed to go do math? Maybe a parent giving them a hard time when they were a child for wanting to \u2018paint pretty pictures\u2019? Maybe a significant other telling them they\u2019re not that good. Believe it or not, this painter is probably the one I can relate to the most. As artists, we are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up in our mind over every brush stroke, pencil mark, or ink stain. We\u2019ve had art teachers tell us when we were in seventh grade that we \u201cmust have traced that because there\u2019s no way a seventh grader could have drawn that.\u201d Or maybe a spouse who, while we were still doing our undergraduate in art, condescendingly says \u201cAll you ever have to do every day is go off to school and paint your pretty little pictures while I have to stay here and do real work.\u201d My heart aches for these friends because I\u2019ve been there. I know how hard it is to put yourself into your art and be rejected. For these friends, I have one message: \u201cYou will never be rejected at Uncorked Inspiration. I will always do everything I can so that you know you are valued, and that your art is your own, and there is always something good about it.\u201d And I\u2019m pretty sure this isn\u2019t just a good thing, but one of the best things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Blender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahhhh, the blender. Perfect for making margaritas and other mixed drinks\u2026 oh wait, that\u2019s not quite what I mean. The blender is one of our friends who loves to paint, but always feels obligated to blend the paint on their canvas until it\u2019s so completely mixed, that many times it turns gray. This is not a good thing! At our paint and sips, we often incorporate techniques that come directly from the Impressionist period, which was really more about capturing a moment, or a mood, lighting during different times of day\u2026 but not so much about blending. In many cases, the application of paint to canvas for many impressionists was bold, impasto, and not highly blended. Yes, you\u2019ll find some examples of delicate and purposeful blending, but for the most part, the paint was brushed directly from the palette onto the canvas, sometimes in very thick layers (Van Gogh, for instance). During our paint and sip events, I always try to evaluate the process that my blending friends are using, because sometimes, the blending is quite beautiful. It\u2019s simply a matter of helping them to make the decision of when to stop blending! The Repeat Offender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our last painting friend is also one of my favorites. I call them, very lovingly, I might add, \u201cmy repeat offenders\u201d. These friends come back, sometimes twice in a row on a weekend for multiple events. They come back and paint. They come back and learn. They come back because we are all friends at Uncorked. And I don\u2019t say that lightly. I value all of my painting friends. I simply have a very special place in my heart for someone who is willing to come back and learn more from me. I love teaching our paint and sip classes, and when someone comes back more than once or twice, it makes me feel incredibly special. And I can personally state\u2026 this too, is a good thing. You may see yourself in one of these friends, or all of them, or maybe none of them. What I do know is that as friends and individuals, you are all very special to Andrea and myself, and we love doing what we do because of you. And that\u2019s a pretty good thing, too. At our Uncorked Inspiration paint and sip events, we have a lot of different types of people who come paint with us. To be honest, we love all of them, and we do our best to make their event personal, friendly, and most of all, fun. Over the course of the time we\u2019ve been in business, there have been a few \u201ctypes\u201d who stand out to us. If you come down to paint with us, be sure to keep your eyes open. You might just see one of these friends at the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions\/89"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uncorkedinspiration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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