The Obstacles of Making Art

When inspiration to create something strikes, there’s really no way to postpone it. I’m the type of person that has an idea right now, so I want to make it right now. That mentality posed a few problems for me when I wanted to try a new project.

My plan was to create small coasters made of plaster with pressed flowers on the top and a layer of epoxy to create a glassy effect. I was excited for my plan, not realizing how ambitious I was being (which, now that I think about it, happens to me a lot). I ran to my garden and picked flowers to press them in my sketchbook.

I got in my car to go to the craft store, which is when I ran into Obstacle Number 1: apparently no one carries plaster. We have three local craft stores, none of which deem plaster important enough to keep on hand. I remembered that plaster actually has another use besides creating art, so I traveled to Lowe’s and finally found some plaster.

I came home, mixed the plaster, put the plaster in the molds I was using, and stood guard. (I didn’t want to walk away and come back to mysterious paw prints.) When the plaster felt tacky enough to hold the weight of my flowers, I carefully placed them in and waited some more. This is when Obstacle Number 2 took place. The plaster dried, but the flowers fell right out. I must not have pushed the flowers into the plaster deep enough to hold them.

So I threw my little experiments away and mixed up another batch of plaster. I poured these in the molds and waited all over again. I already depleted my garden enough for one day, so I had no flowers. I had the intentions of painting on the small self-made canvases once they were dried.

Once they were dry, I ran into the third obstacle: I didn’t know what to paint. I decided to get rid of the painting idea and instead use them as décor for my room. I printed out pictures of some of my favorite paintings with the idea of mod podge-ing them to the coasters and later I would attach something so I could hang them on my wall. This all went smoothly until the following morning I woke up and realized pod modge and plaster apparently don’t get along. (Obstacle number 4.) The printed pictures of the paintings peeled right off the plaster. I threw away all evidence of the failed attempt of the project because I was so annoyed.

I stayed annoyed for a while, until I realized this is going to happen a lot in my life. Without the guidance of an art teacher or professor, a lot of projects that I try for the first time are probably going to fail. I don’t plan on giving up plaster forever, so hopefully I learn to work in a new medium while also practicing how to overcome the task of learning something new.