Before vinyl siding started to put house painters out of business in North America, painting houses was a common summertime activity for homeowners or professional painters. I did my fair share of house and barn painting, most of it while perched on a wooden ladder.
Dad was good at giving advice on painting. Not too much at one time, though.
Day one: Paint in the shade; the sun will dry out your brush quickly.
Day two: Wear shoes with hard soles. The ladder rung will leave a permanent dent in your foot through your sneaker soles.
Day three: Keep a wet rag in your back pocket to take care of the drips when they happen; scraping old paint is hard work.
The best advice was on day four:
Every now and then climb down the ladder and step back about 10 paces and admire your work. You'll see any skips and take pride in your progress.
Sometimes working is like painting a house. Your nose is right in your work all day and you forget to step back and see where you are going, fix the skips and take pride in your work.
Painting IS a Zen-inducing pastime. So much free time to think as you mechanically repeat a simple process. Stepping back and admiring work gives the short-term gratification needed to complete such an arduous task. And what clearer indication of accomplishment than viewing fresh paint? Wish progres in life were as clear...
Posted by: Len | January 26, 2006 at 03:57 PM
Good advice. I wonder if Michelangelo ever stepped down off the ladder to admire his work when he painted the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Posted by: Yeabut | February 10, 2006 at 09:55 PM