Evidence seems to suggest that learning new things helps keep your brain fit. With this in mind I decided last year to start taking classes. I hadn’t done night school for years but decided to give it a try. One thing I’ve discovered is that I’m an introverted extrovert! I love meeting new people but find it’s torture to actually go out and meet them. By convincing myself that there are lots of people who must feel like me, I can force myself to walk into that room full of strangers for the first time.  Trouble is I’m so focused on just getting through it that things like people’s names go right over my head when I’m first introduced as I’m just concentrating on gritting my teeth!

Still I did it and last year I enrolled in a French class. I loved it and the only reason I didn’t carry on was that the teacher moved away and it was her relaxed approach and great sense of humour that made it so much fun.

This year I was pondering what to do when I came across a life drawing class. I’ve always wanted to do one but never quite had the nerve,  it involves actually putting charcoal to paper and producing something that people WILL SEE – daunting.

Anyway I tried it this week and despite the fact that there were some very good artists there, I enjoyed it. I found that I was so focused on what I was doing that the time flew. I did feel nervous and that initial gritting of the teeth was needed but I’m glad I did it and I might even go again (I did it as a one off as I didn’t want to commit myself).

Some of my efforts are shown below, just to prove I did it!

So that’s it for this week. Have a great weekend.

Ps any suggestions, by anyone reading this, for new things to try are welcome and I’d love to hear of any learning experiences, good or bad!