Written By: Yasemin Yesil, Paint for Fun long and loyal painters.
I dedicate this post to all the people out there who embrace the joy of doing what they love…even if they’re not particularly good at it…yet! 
1990 The beginning…
Sitting in the livingroom of my family home, seven-year-old me had just finished reading one of my favourite books, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Done with reading for the moment, I now wanted to draw, so I took out my pencils and bright pink notebook and thought about what I would draw. Ali Baba’s face seemed to look straight at me from the cover of the book I had just put down, so I picked up my pencil and thought, ‘Let’s try this.’ Before I knew it, I had spent a whole afternoon copying the pictures from the book. I had always enjoyed drawing but despite how hard I tried, I could never produce on paper what I saw in my head. Copying the pictures from a book though, gave me a chance to still do something I loved, with a reasonable result. I went on to copy many other pictures from books, loving every moment of the art of drawing.
1998 Some years later…
I wouldn’t say that drawing and art was a passion growing up but it was definitely something I enjoyed doing when I got the chance or felt the inspiration. My notebooks over the years were filled more with poetry and stories than drawings and paintings. However, in year ten, apart from English, one of my favourite classes was Graphic Communications. I don’t remember much about the class except that we got to do a lot of drawing and I loved learning about the different techniques to lines and shading. I didn’t always manage to get these techniques right and there were always others who produced enviable creations, but I just loved the whole creative process and was always pleasantly surprised with what I could produce, as long as I wasn’t comparing it to anyone else’s work! Recently, my mum returned a whole bunch of work she had saved from my school days and within these personal treasures was my Graphic Communications portfolio. Inside, I found four of my drawings from year ten, that took me down memory lane to a time where I could spend hours of a weekend lost in a hobby that gave me such great pleasure.
1998 Some years later…
I wouldn’t say that drawing and art was a passion growing up but it was definitely something I enjoyed doing when I got the chance or felt the inspiration. My notebooks over the years were filled more with poetry and stories than drawings and paintings. However, in year ten, apart from English, one of my favourite classes was Graphic Communications. I don’t remember much about the class except that we got to do a lot of drawing and I loved learning about the different techniques to lines and shading. I didn’t always manage to get these techniques right and there were always others who produced enviable creations, but I just loved the whole creative process and was always pleasantly surprised with what I could produce, as long as I wasn’t comparing it to anyone else’s work! Recently, my mum returned a whole bunch of work she had saved from my school days and within these personal treasures was my Graphic Communications portfolio. Inside, I found four of my drawings from year ten, that took me down memory lane to a time where I could spend hours of a weekend lost in a hobby that gave me such great pleasure.
ABOUT
Hi! My name is Yasemin but you can call me Yas.
Thank-you for joining me on my journey of living my bliss for a year (and beyond). I am a writer at heart that has been procrastinating as a Primary School teacher for the past 11 years. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE teaching, but the time has come to take a break and start living my writing dream!
If you’re interested in books, art, movies, writing, travel, finding your bliss, following your dreams and just life in general, then stay tuned. Inspired by the people who wake up everyday doing what they love, I hope that my little writing contribution to the world will inspire you to find your bliss and live your dreams – or at least make a dedicated space for them in your life!
Here we go…
