What do you think of when picturing an artist?  A dude with a funny hat?  A color pallet?  A musician?  Someone who’s a little…. different?
How about yourself? Have you ever created a work of art?
No?
Ever try?
I’m not an artist. Sure, I’ll take a stab here and there, but for the most part, my definition of creativity is seeing what items I can salvage from the curb during cleanup week and finding a way to brag about it later.
But creating a work of art?  Naaaaah. Not for me.
This was true until a recent agreement.
For the second year, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is hosting their “Home is Where the Art Is” art show and auction. As a first-year member of the committee, I felt I was doing plenty. I’d show up at meetings, give my input on how the event should be run and do what I could to promote the event.
Then I made the mistake of mentioning the event to my overly ambitious, glass-is-half-full, creatively genius boyfriend.
“That sounds GREAT!” he said, digging out his cheerleading uniform. “Let’s each do a piece!”
But even after explaining the caliber of the event – featuring local professional artists, and it being part of a classy event in an art studio – he was persistent in wanting to participate. With me.
And so, even though my plan – just as it was the year previous – was to create something for next year’s auction, I nervously agreed.
Thankfully, the event started out with a paid-for shopping trip to the Restore in Moorhead. Given a $50 voucher, I carefully scanned each shelf in the secondhand hardware store, searching high and low for an easy out — something along the lines of a left-behind sketch of a creative idea, or something that could pass as a “work of art” with very little work.
No luck. I was actually going to have to do this. I immediately began regretting my agreement to create a piece of art.  If I had kept my mouth shut, backing out would have been an option at this point. Instead, I stood empty-handed in a secondhand hardware store with diddly squat for an idea.
Not wanting to go overboard with my outrageous creativity, I resorted to utilizing my voucher for supplies to build a picture frame. How tough could it be, anyway?
Difficult. Very difficult.
Sawing four boards at a 45 degree angle with a miter box so they come together perfectly is like trying to see with your eyes shut. It just doesn’t happen. The frame may have pieced together better had I kept my eyes shut.

Thankfully, with much help from my brother and my boyfriend,
I was able to get the frame built and finally frame the photograph I had taken at my boyfriend’s farm.  The photo features Paso, an eager farm dog, waiting for a ride in an old International service truck.
My piece, “Waitin’ on You” along with Travis’ “Rise and Shine” sunflower and over 30 other pieces (completed by actual artists) will

be auctioned off on February 4^th as part of the “Home is Where the Art Is” event.
To see the selection of art, view the flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/lahfhrestore/sets/72157628842770477/
For more details on the auction visit www.lakeagassizhabitat.org or, purchase tickets at www.fargostuff.com.
Shootin’ the Wit is a blog about everyday life that should never, ever be taken too seriously.