Am I Blue?

Home Sweet Home

After figuring out what color to paint my office a few weeks ago, I finally got down to the job of actually painting it. If you read my post on “What Color Should I Paint My Office?“, you should already know that I chose blue for its ability to enhance creativity.

I was lucky enough to get my son involved in this endeavor. He went the high road and I went the low road. Here are my room-painting take-aways:

  • Talk to someone in the know: Especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing. When I went to the hardware store to buy paint and all the painting accessories, I immediately went for the new fangled brushes that were supposed to be all the rave. The guy behing the counter told me to get a roller and a couple of plain brushes, and there was no need for anything else. I got both. The newer ones dripped paint all over the place. Find mentors and listen to them.
  • Make your own mistakes: Using the brushes that were supposed to be better winded up costing me a lot of extra time, but if I didn’t buy those brushes, I’d always be wondering what I was missing. It’s good to make mistakes. That’s what caused people to grow.
  • Duets are more fun than solos: I really enjoyed painting with my son. I could have done the whole thing by myself, at least I’d like to believe that I could have, but sharing it with someone else made time fly by.
  • Open a window: Airing things out is always a good idea. This goes way beyond painting. When you feel like you are getting nowhere on something, take a walk and get some air. Clearing your head will give you new perspective.
  • Touch it up later: The most important part of any project is getting it done. It won’t always come out perfectly the way you planned, but you can always make it better later. It’s better to get something out and fix it, than to not release anything at all.
  • Savor what you’ve done: All in all, I have to say that I’m pretty proud of myself (and my son) for the job we did. It’s more than OK to give yourself a pat on the back for your accomplishments.

With all this blue around, I’m feeling pretty darn creative. For my next project: landing page redesign for The Pet Wiki. Now I’m ready.