Say I can

The moment you begin to doubt your abilities you are lost. The battle is lost right there. Yes, you need to realistically estimate your abilities. But having a go at something gives a much better idea of what you can do, and at times you can surprise even your own self, achieving something you never thought you could. Why am I telling you all this? Because when I look back I realise I've had at least a few such experiences. More about those later. Here's a recent one. I had gone along with some friends to an art event conducted by Pune Biennale. They had called artists for this. Now, I do a bit of art but have no formal training in it. Since I was there, someone said, why not register? So I did. Soon we were each presented with a canvas 50 x 60 cms big, and some acrylic colors. I've never worked with acrylic paints or on canvas before, and had no idea what to do with them, or how this medium was handled.
Now the important bit. In my earlier avatar I would have just returned the canvas and paints saying I couldn't do it. But the new me decided to give it a shot. After all there is always a first time. And what did I have to lose? So I just used the paints intuitively. Here's the result. Most visitors who watched me doing the painting said that they liked it. What's more, now I feel I've discovered my medium!