Destruction is also good!

Kristin Willemsen (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

In painting class a few months ago, Prof. Yves Larocque encouraged us ”let go” with our art work by destroying and rebuilding our paintings we had just completed. This exercise taught us to not be so attached to our work, and that destruction is sometimes necessary in order to make our work more personal. I thought it was amazing how everyone’s painting in the class was better and more interesting after it was “destroyed”.

Unexpectedly, this lesson also helped me to adapt better in my job in the pharmaceutical industry. After spending long hours all week meticulously drafting an extensive report for an industry working group, my report was abandoned at the last minute before it was to be submitted to the government. My reflexive response was to be disappointed because my work was not going to be used. The lesson we learned in painting class allowed me to acknowledge that I had become too attached to my work and that it’s okay to “let go.” In the end, the industry working group chose to transform my report, combine it with others, and present it in an entirely different format than what was originally expected in order to better serve its purpose. Just like my painting, my report was destroyed and rebuilt into something better.  Thank you Prof. Larocque for helping me break down barriers to creativity that I face when I paint and when I work.