*all original art by Tee Henderson
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Every artist was first an amateur”…although I try not to philosophize too often (too many french fries to eat and beers to drink). Art is definitely one of those deeply personal things that maybe not everybody’s good at. I know I’m trash at painting, for instance. That’s okay.
It feels good to express yourself regardless. It’s calming. Peaceful. Fun. And you may even surprise yourself when you’re finished with your own personal Mona Lisa.
Teal Cheese contributor Tee Henderson recently introduced me to the idea of Paint by Playlist, where you just throw on some cool jams and see where the brush strokes take you. And as an ordinary dude with sparse creative ability, the idea really appeals to me. That sounds super tranquil, actually.
“I have all the playlists for my paintings in my book,” Tee told me, referencing a notebook she keeps close on hand when she’s painting. The idea being that different songs get you different results. I find that oddly alluring…the notion that playing a reggae track list as opposed to a heavy metal one creates two totally different artistic outlooks.
As she explains the intricacies of her pictures to me, I start to wonder what a Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee playlist would cause my finger-tips to birth.
“Higher tempo music generally calls for more chaos,” Tee said, gesturing to one of her pieces. “Whereas I might take my time and be more detailed with slower tempo songs.”
To be perfectly frank, I don’t know how motivated I am to run out to an arts and crafts store and start buying a bunch of supplies for something I know nothing about. But Tee insists that it’s not that complicated.
“Michael’s has great buy one get one specials, and they typically have coupons to use,” she informs me as she belts out another painting to a colorful ska soundtrack. “And painting itself isn’t terribly complicated. You prime the canvas, pick some colors. You can melt crayons, splatter paint, it doesn’t matter.”
Anybody can do it. And of course everybody has varying degrees of talent. It’s okay, dude…you don’t have to be Van Gogh to enjoy the exercise. But if you’re sitting around with nothing to do…watching Impractical Jokers reruns or burning up braincells on the other end of a blunt….turn off all the white noise and put on some relaxing tunes.
Do your own Paint by Playlist, dude. And then upload it onto your social media and share it with us! We’d love to see what you come up with.
Follow Paint By Playlist on Instagram here!