An artist’s lunch
I have a life long love affair with sardines. When I was a kid I was a fussy eater. My mother’s friends joked that I was the perfect communist child because I only liked to eat the few things that were actually available to buy at the grocery store: bread, mushrooms, olives and canned sardines. You could certainly live on such a diet but maybe throw in something green!
This post is really about the idea that it is always so exciting to learn that there is a different and better way to do something which you have done in a certain way for a very long time. Surprising, huh?
I’ve been eating sardines out of a can with some bread for years on end and loving it. But recently, thanks to Instagram (where I do all of my quality learning) I discovered that there are many ways in which I can take my sardine game to the next level. I discovered that you can open the can, press a folded paper towel into it, on top of the sardines, let it become saturated with oil and light it on fire. Doing this imparts a very nice smoky flavour to your favourite small fish.
You can also mash your sardines with herbs, lemon, mustard and spread them on toast. Really good!
It’s exciting to find an easier way to do something but it can be destabilizing and hard to let go of what you’re used to but I think if you can withstand a bit of discomfort, your imagination and abilities will grow. Over the years I became able to absorb the pain of starting something and sucking at it. I don’t mind it because I am really curious about everything and I want to learn everything.
I see this resistance a lot in my art classes with younger people. Our cultural programming plants so many preconceived seeds about what art is, whether we are creative, or if we can draw. It is my job to try to disentangle these self imposed obstacles and try to demonstrate to students that they can do all those things and more. It takes time and letting go. But you have to want it or be open hearted enough to accept that you might make mistakes, or feel incapable for a while.
You’re not gonna believe what other activity I changed, which I have been doing in the same way for all my life! Tying my shoe laces! I found this tutorial for a better and faster method. I practiced it with my daughter and now she is the fastest 10 yr old shoe tier in her year. And I am so happy to have found this better faster way, it changed my life :)
I’ve loved sardines since I was a kid, especially Tiny Tots. Out of the tin, on rye bread with mustard, mayo and romaine. On bremner wafers neat. With lemon cukes from the garden. 😋
I have a great way of tying shoes so they don't come undone...until you want them to when you just pull each end of the lace and they undo no problem. All you do is the traditional way of tying shoes but instead of wrapping the first loop once, wrap it twice!