Never Have I Ever Been to a Painting Workshop Before

Dubai is home to plenty of luxurious and creative hobbies, and I have to admit, of all the truly luxurious experiences I have had in Dubai, the painting experience was my favourite.

In other parts of the world it’s probably known as ‘Pinot and Paint’ or something along those lines, but given how Dubai is (incredibly hot) and where we are located (right by the sea), the experience was uniquely Dubai-an.

Prior to the event, I spent some time thinking about what to wear to this event. It wasn’t going to be fancy- it was literally just painting, so I knew I didn’t have to wear a fancy outfit. But I also knew that the people gracing the event would be from a certain creative genre of life and would quite possibly be representing the tapestry that is this world. So I settled on what would be comfortable for me- a plain white tee because if I’m going to a painting experience, I need them paint droplets to drop on my white clothes so I can prove to the world where I have been; an old pair of blue jeans so that if it gets dirty, I can toss it out, and a colourful headband because nothing says ‘creative’ like mixing and matching colours and playing around with your style. It is only just hitting me that the pressure to appear cool is too much.

Anyway, I got to the 5-star hotel this event was being hosted at and was immediately blown away by everything in the room. My friend and I were greeted by the organiser. She led us to our tables that were equipped with a glass of drinking water, an empty wine glass (which was later filled with absolutely delicious wine), assorted paint brushes and a cup of water to dip them in, a palette, the picture we were meant to recreate and the canvas that we were going to be painting on. All this against a backdrop of the pool and beach, with smooth jazz in the background. Have you seen heaven? No? I have. Be jealous.

The organiser then coached us on which paintbrushes to use where, what colour combinations to use and to go with the flow and have fun with the strokes. As we painted, we knew we were not great at what we were doing but we also knew we were having fun. It was therapeutic to be able to drink some wine, look at the pool, bask in the sun, take some artistic selfies whilst holding a paint brush, and yes, paint a little. It was like living the good life, the first world life. A lazy Saturday afternoon exploring your creative side whilst having fun. This whole thing where I was going to try a new experience every now and then was turning out to be quite fun.

And like my previous new experience of having a drink by myself, this, too, taught me something about myself.

1. I like playing with colours. I may not be good at it, but I enjoy doing it. I would 100% go back there, not because I was so amazing at what I painted, but because it gave me a sense of freedom to dabble with things.
2. I will judge people for being pretentious and have fun whilst doing it. There was a white man at the event with dreadlocks. I realise that just by using the term ‘white man’ the political correctness police’s stress-o-meter is going wild, but I’m sorry, I don’t understand white people with dreadlocks. Luckily, the friend I went with is also a judgmental bitch (and proud to be one- hence, we get along), and so we spent about ten minutes judging him for not just his hair but also scrutinising his work. He was hella talented, so that didn’t go down the way we wanted it to.
3. If a place offers wine and jazz, I will be there.