Brushstrokes of love and trust

The beauty of small moments

Our rendition of the Celestial Dance, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic The Starry Night.

Those who know me know I tend to prefer physical activities over the ones that require dexterity. So, recently, when Shubz suggested that we go on a couple's art date, it set my heart and mind racing. Art and painting are as far apart as chalk and cheese for me.

Without a doubt, the Mrs. is the more creative between the two. Her pursuits and excellence in art, music and aesthetics leave me behind by miles.

There was no escaping from this one, though. So, we landed up this past Saturday afternoon at the venue, and like an adamant child, I tried every trick in the book to wiggle out of it.

"No one has shown up yet," "There is too much sun coming through the windows," and "We have a long day tomorrow."

The stare and responses (or lack of response) to any of this spoke to me louder than any words could. It was unmistakably a signal to shut up and get on with the task at hand.

While I was busy making excuses to avoid it, the more creative of the two of us were already brainstorming ideas for what we could paint.

By then, it was clear as daylight to me that I was in it for the long haul, and there was no backing off. As if a switch had been flicked, I enthusiastically started participating in selecting the painting to accompany it.

It is remarkable how the human mind adjusts to the demands of the situation fairly quickly.

Now that I had decided, bravado kicked in, and I started picking options as if I were Michelangelo or Picasso. Reality quickly pulled me back, and we settled on a painting with two distinct halves. On the left was an intricate pattern depicting the sun, and on the right side was a simplistic-looking moon—moonstruck by the sun. There are no points for guessing which one I chose. It had to be the moon, of course!

While embedding our painting in this article, I realized my wife had selected a painting inspired by Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night! Had I known this before attempting to paint it, I might have hesitated to try it.

(Don't get me wrong. I am not comparing myself to Van Gogh :-))

Sometimes, it is best to dive into a task without being weighed down by the achievements of those who came before you.

The blank canvas arrived, and we got to work right away. As in, the Mrs. put pencil and paint on the canvas, and I kept looking all around, trying to figure out what to do and where to start. I kid you not; the 10-inch by 10-inch canvas in front of me felt more like a massive 10-foot by 10-foot canvas. I felt vastly small in front of the canvas that lay in front of me.

With a little nudge from Mrs., I picked up the brush, tentatively dipped it in paint and started painting the canvas with a few brush strokes. One brushstroke led to another, and soon, I lost myself in the rhythmic movement of the brush and the shifting hues on the canvas. I had transformed a simple white canvas into a lovely shade of dark blue, depicting the night sky.

Once again, I experienced how the first step, the first nudge, is all that is needed to accomplish a task that seemed insurmountable.

Long story short, after applying the background colour to the canvas, I only needed to unleash my imagination. I took full creative license to place stars, clouds, and anything else I could envision in the night sky of the painting. I realized I was thoroughly enjoying the process. With the freedom to be as creative as I wanted, I began experimenting with colours and painting imagery in the night sky that, to my eyes, resembled nebulae! And I started getting playful.

Now and then, I would look over at what was coming up on the other canvas. The Mrs. was deep in concentration and working on her side of the canvas with a deftness and intricacy that truly defied me. She was so deep in concentration that she handed over paint and colours to the other participants when asked without even looking up from her work. While I was goofing around, she was deep in concentration and making sure that the final output was something that we could be proud of.

At that moment, I realised once again that a successful team thrives on a mix of diverse skills and temperaments, with roles shifting based on the task at hand.

As the minutes rolled by, the canvas of the jugalbandi between the sun and the moon gradually came to life.

While the canvas is imperfect by any stretch of imagination, I am genuinely proud of my effort. I feel more confident in my abilities now and have realised that success is not always about what one can achieve alone but what is possible when working as part of a team. I am eternally grateful to Shubz for encouraging me to take that first step.

That one hour on a Saturday afternoon reinforced the power of partnership, trust, and belief. It also reminded me that things need not be grand and perfect. The small moments in life can still bring the greatest joy, happiness, and gratitude.

PS: The original video is courtesy of Mustafa Shariff. Edited and combined using Canva and Veed.