I have several artist friends, and I’ve been art supply shopping with them before. We all get pretty excited when walking the isles of an art supply store. I think it sets our mind ablaze with the sheer amount of potential before us.
All the things I ever toyed with in my mind presented in front of me made my blood boil with possibilities. It’s fun both to browse or to culminate the experience by completing a monetary transaction that just feels like gravy.
For me, though, this extends beyond the art store. I know others who like me browse alleys and items dumped for possible materials. When driving around with my wife, whenever I see a pile of ‘garbage’ at a curb, I always say, “ooo, treasure.” I don’t see her reaction, but I’m pretty sure she cringes.
But there’s another place for me, too. When I go to the local American Apparel retail store, just a few blocks from my home, I look about in the same way as I do in the art store. I’m seeing raw canvas everywhere, checking colors, sizes, feeling textures and testing stretch, looking around and seeing if there is anything I missed. I don’t think it’s possible for my to just ’shop’ for clothes anymore. I don’t think this is necessarily bad, but I sometimes wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.
