Art doesn’t just happen. Sometimes you have to take calculated risks.

Ella set down the chalk with a sigh and looked down at the Crayola 4-in-1 Art Center. She just didn’t understand why she was having such a hard time. In her head she envisioned Van Gogh’s Starry Night. But on the chalkboard surface it was just a smeared, muddled mess of color. Not bad if her intention had been to channel Monet. That thought made her smile reluctantly.

But maybe chalk just wasn’t her medium. “Crayon, perhaps,” she thought. She sat up straight in the chair with the padded seat and back, and considered the assortment of 24 colors before selecting the blue. And maybe she had set her sights too high with Van Gogh. Better to start off with something … less realistic? Picasso! It’s not like if she screwed up, anyone would be able to tell the difference anyway. 

But as she began drawing, she could tell immediately that she just wasn’t pulling it off. She threw the crayon across the room in frustration. She was starting to realize how Pollock must have felt. And then it dawned on her. “Of course! I can do splatters!”

She didn’t have any paint. But she had the next best thing … a brand new erasable marker filled to the brim with fresh ink. Only how to crack it open?

Ella lifted the table and placed the marker under one of the rubber feet. She positioned a sheet of paper against the wall to catch the splatters. Then she climbed up on the chair and readied herself. For a split second she hesitated, and thought maybe it wasn’t the best idea. “Meh,” she thought just before leaping onto the sturdy plastic and metal table. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

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