Written by: Elisa Balabram

Here is a creative activity to do on your own, with roommates, with the kids, or even virtually with a friend. I often write about my adventures painting shoes and clothes, and I thought it would be fun to share my process with you.

Ingredients:

  • Fabric ink or silkscreen paint – available at local art shops. If they are closed, check if you could buy from them online. I believe at least Michaels is still shipping products.
  • A piece of thick cardboard
  • Clips
  • A T-shirt you don’t mind painting on
  • Paint brushes
  • A plastic container with water (mine had ice cream once)
  • A sketchbook or pad
  • A pencil
  • Uplifting music
  • This paint dries quickly, make sure to wear an apron and/or clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.

Most importantly

  • Patience
  • Kindness towards self
  • Creativity
  • Inspiration
  • Permission to make mistakes (kindly ask the perfectionist self to take a nap)
  • Lightness

Process:

Start with the message you’d like your design/shirt to convey. I painted this red shirt after attending a 10-day Vipassana silent retreat several years ago. The feeling that our sanctuary lives within ourselves was super strong. I then searched for flowers that represented sanctuary, and I learned that Queen Anne’s Lace does. (This could be a second activity with the family, to search for the color, object, flower, or etc. that represents the message you’d like to express.) Next, I searched for photos of Queen Anne’s Lace flower, and painted looking at it.

I suggest drawing the idea, and playing with it. If you are going to just write something (how would you do it?), or paint and write around it, or simply paint freely, it is helpful to sketch it.

 

 

Before you start painting, I recommend inserting the cardboard, and securing it with the clips.

 

 

For my project, I decided to use the phrase “This Will Also Change”, repeated often through the teachings and recordings of Goenka at the Vipassana retreat. A reminder that everything is impermanent. I think we could all keep reminding ourselves of it these days. Then I searched and learned which color (orange) and flower (Protea) represented change and transformation.

My painting didn’t look much like the Protea flower, but I still love the message and reminder. (Thank goodness all my inner critics and perfectionist self were napping.)

Feel free to share here if you decide to paint something, or post a photo on Facebook.

Stay Safe and Sane,

Elisa Balabram