My guide to Scissor and Paint your way to Happiness

“Whatever you decide to do

make sure it makes you happy” – Paulo Coelho

What is really happiness? I tried to define happiness in my own way in my poem "A New Beginning" when I asked, "What is truly happiness?"

Is it a feeling of exhilaration or maybe intoxication?

Or a state of mind in which there is euphoria or bliss?

Like a raindrop cascading from the sky

gliding in the wind and landing on a rose

caressing each and every petal until it is absorbed when the sun awakens from its sleep

Maybe it is support the tree trunk gives when it stands so powerfully

being a pillar for the branches

emulating a mother who eternally carried the weight of her children so willingly

Maybe it was the way that bird sang so euphoniously

echoing the voices of Angels in paradise

Happiness is a mental or emotional state where there is an array of positive emotions such as joy, satisfaction and well-being to name a few. One of the things that truly makes me happy is visiting my family and spending time in the flower garden. Red roses are one of my favorite flowers. A great way to bond with my mom is to help her prune roses so we can add some decor to the inside of the home. Pruners are essential because they help cut the stems neatly without compressing the water uptake channels within them. Roses just brighten up the room and the aroma from them is very pleasant and not overpowering.

While I stare at the beautiful rose arrangement, it seems to speak to me asking me to paint it. I couldn't help but respond with a resounding yes.

Art is an integral part of my life as it serves to enrich it. When I experience difficulties, art is the one thing that brings me solitude and joy. It becomes my escape.

As I look back on my older drawings and paintings, I will say that I am not an artist because there is no artistic flair especially in the ones I made as a child or as a young adult. Things are different now though. Art and I are best friends as we have come to learn each other's ways.

This art project utilizes a canvas, scissors, sponge, acrylic paint, water and brushes. I enjoy being very creative and do not always paint an exact replica of what is in front of me. Instead, its main use is to stir my imagination to create something that still gives credit to what inspires it.

To create the background, I cut an old sponge and soak the pieces in paint and water before dabbing it onto the canvas to create this beautiful wallpaper pattern. This process is really fun but can be a bit messy. However, what’s painting without some mess?

Once the background dries, I quickly sketch the vessel that will house this beautiful flower arrangement. It needs to be something old and vintage to match the background. The placement of the vase allows me to then determine where my shadows and highlights will go. From there, I pick certain roses from the arrangement and concentrate on how they look in terms of direction and the folds of the petals. For instance, are they facing me or facing away from me? In addition, I play with the colors by adding white, pink, crimson and even a bit of purple to paint the flowers free hand.

During this painting, I cut paper to block out some parts of the painting while concentrating on other aspects of it. For example, I block off some of the background while painting the vase initially. It also prevents me from touching certain parts of the canvas which I am guilty of doing because my hands get messy.

One of the best things about art is that you are the creator and the final product is whatever you would like it to be. If you want to paint white or yellow roses, you can.

When I paint, it opens up a new world, far away from the noises, the pressures, the chaos, the responsibilities and the feelings of inadequacy that the world places on me. With every brush stroke or dab of my sponge it induces a state of euphoria. It takes me on a journey to a distant place where I get to be who I want to be, judgement free. When the painting is complete, all I see is one of my beautiful creations made by applying pigments to a surface and every detail serves as a reminder of my temporary voyage. I didn’t return with pictures, but I was able to create my very own image.