I can't draw, but I can read

I would call myself creative but definitely NOT artistic. In fact, the depth of my artistic ineptitude is pretty astounding. I can't even make a proper stick figure. And this doesn't really make me sad. It's not really a skill I have ever even wanted to develop. That is, until I was elected as the Art Teacher. Talk about the blind leading the blind. I sort of agonized over this at first, thinking, "What can I possibly teach in an hour a week?!" My next reaction was just to blow it off, with statements like, "It's just art, afterall. It's not like it really matters." But finally, I decided to embrace the art class, not just as something I could teach Ruth, but as something I myself could learn. And I told Ruth this upfront, which she loved. We encourage each other, and it's fun. We also use a fantastic book, which has step-by-step instructions and operates on multiple levels. And I've learned something amazing about myself: I can't draw, but I can read! And if I can read (and follow directions), I can make pictures that look like actual recognizable objects! It's so cool! (Kind of reminds me of when I got married and my mom worried that I wouldn't be able to cook. I told her that I didn't need to know how to cook because I could read and I could follow a recipe--which is a cooking philosophy that has worked beautifully for me for 10 years, thank you very much)! During the course of more than one art class this semester, I have been completely flabbergasted at what has presented itself as I have followed the instructions along with Ruth. And so, now, it's show-and-tell time. I am, by the way, not only enamored with my own drawings, but am also very impressed at the things Ruth has turned out. But, I brag on her all the time, and almost never on myself, so this post is just about me. This lesson was an audio/visual. I would read the instructions out loud and look at the visual. Then, I would draw what was explained in each step (without having practiced previously). Ruth listened to the instructions, and then copied each step from my drawing on the board. I thought it turned out pretty nice, especially for someone who doesn't have one ounce of natural talent!