If you ask any student how they’re feeling about school, chances are the answer will be that they’re burnt out from adapting to the transition to Zoom University. You might have put in double-time to stay on top of your online course work or maybe you are just in a rut from every day being the same. One of my favourite ways to take a step back and practice some self-care is to follow a Bob Ross painting tutorial. The calm pace of the tutorial paired with Bob Ross showering you with affirmations and a new painting to hang up in your room can be really rewarding during these unstimulating times.
He gives great words of affirmation
Throughout his video tutorials, Bob Ross reminds you that whatever you create within the span of his tutorial is in your hands. You are responsible and in control of your canvas, and Ross reminds you that you can stray away from his direction and put your own spin on it. One of his most viral quotes is “We don’t make mistakes. We just have happy accidents”, which is a great mindset to adopt in your day-to-day life. Being in lockdown has exasperated emotions derived from completing tasks in an attempt to stay motivated and feel that extra shot of serotonin. But the reality of it is that sometimes projects and tasks don’t result in what you had hoped for, and it can leave you feeling uninspired and demotivated. Ross reminds his viewers that what they create is still art, even if it doesn’t look like his example. Some mistakes are just another lesson learned!
Completing a project from start to finish on your own is rewarding
As Bob Ross once stated, “the secret to doing anything is believing that you can do it. Anything that you believe you can do strong enough, you can do. Anything. As long as you believe.” Following Ross’s tutorials is not only a great way to spend some time with yourself, but also feel accomplished from completing something all on your own. A lot of projects and assignments are in limbo because they take a chunk of time to complete, or you have to rely on others to do their part. It can be super fulfilling to surround yourself with little projects that you made on your own and then reinspire other aspects of your life.
It can be a fun group activity
Whether you have some free time with your housemates or are connecting with friends and family over FaceTime, painting together is a great activity for spending time with one another. In our current reality in lockdown, it can be easy to become too accustomed to being alone. Switching it up from sporadic FaceTime check-ins with your loved ones to doing easy-going tasks together like painting while being validated by Bob Ross can be a fun refresher from this seemingly never-ending lockdown.
Who knows, maybe you’ll discover some untapped artistic skills!