Then I Looked at a Painting I Have Always Liked. It Made Me Feel Good

Good afternoon, my name is ______. I want to introduce myself in a way that will help you know who I am. This morning, as I was getting myself ready for this speech, I was nervous, scared actually. I had no idea where to begin.

Then I looked at a painting I have always liked. It made me feel good.

Right then I realized that if I could share with you my feelings about the painting, if I could share with you why painting makes me feel good … well, then that might be the best introduction I could make.

There are a lot of things to like about a painting. You could like the things that the painting is about – the people, the scenery, angels, bananas … even just shapes. You might like the colors, how they appear or how they work together. You might even like the texture of the paint or the canvas.

I like all those things. And I also like the feeling that I could sort of disappear inside that painting, be in a safer or better world.

I also like the idea of being able to create a painting, to make others feel the kinds of things I feel, or see things the way I see things. To connect with people, but through painting.

And then, I realized that we are all our own painting. Each one of us has created ourselves, is creating ourselves. We are like a living painting. And people can like us for one thing or something else entirely differently. They might see our shapes or they might see our colors or they might see more deeply into us, if they really want to.

And that is who I am. I am a painting. And I am a painter in my heart.