About a month ago, I signed up for a screen printing class at the art center across the street from our apartment building. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into, but I figured it would be a learning experience, a new skill I could put on my resume, and perhaps I would even enjoy myself. After the first class, I was pretty discouraged. None of my prints turned out, the ink was drying too fast, my fingers ached from gripping the squeegee too anxiously, I felt constantly in everyone's way - I had no idea screen printing could be so frustrating! The next couple of classes weren't much better, but I stuck with it in the hopes that I would eventually improve. And today, I made the decision to head over to the studio, my inks in hand, WITH NO SUPERVISION. What if something should go wrong? Would I know how to fix it? Would I be able to locate supplies on my own? Would I be crippled by anxiety and have to rush home? (deep breath)
But being there all by myself, I experienced something extraordinary: the incredibly seductive screen printing tango. I took my time setting up my work area, making sure everything was in its place, mixing my inks calmly, taping down my hinge board, stacking my paper in a delightful little pile. And everything went smoothly. Not just smoothly, but perfectly. There was no one to get in my way as I floated my freshly pulled prints over to the drying rack, no one to critique the angle of the squeegee, no voices to interrupt the sweet song of the taut screen, shrieking in ecstasy under the pressure of my hands. Print after print after print, I experienced pure joy. Screen printing and I will be kept apart no longer. Now, I just have to find a way to tell my boyfriend.
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