August 20 "T" Micro Art Mini Challenge

T for Terror

 

Always do what you are afraid to do.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I saw the word, "terrifying" last week in a movie review I read. This film was taking fear to the next level. It made me think of things that used to terrify me when I was little. Things like scary stuff under the bed, dark closets and fun houses with their moving floors. Camping was fun but there was always the very real possibility of big wolf spiders lurking around the sleeping bags or clothing. Or worse, hanging on the walls of a latrine.

                                                         

Male Wolf Spider        
Credit: Cathy Keifer

One of the biggest fears came from a place I also loved- the ocean. Going to the beach was my favorite thing. Swimming and rafting were great, but somewhere along the line, I developed the fear, not of being gobbled by sharks, but that crustaceans were crawling around on the sea floor, waiting to grab at my feet.

 

This actually prevented me from going into the water where I couldn't see the bottom. I became so fearful, I begged my parents to get me swim fins and I refused to go in the water without them.

 

Even with the fins on, I scared myself imagining all the hard-crusted creepy crawlies were inching toward me anyway. My own mind was convincing me I had something to fear. I soon realized I was scaring myself way more than anything else possibly could. I did reach a point where I was able to go in barefoot and loved the way the smooth sandy bottom felt on my feet. And no crabs to pinch my toes.

 

Fears will always pop up and as I take steps forward to do what scares me, I realize things are always working out in the end. Consider tackling something that scares you and see if it turns out to be less terrifying than you imagined.

                                                       

My beach terror as a kid

Today's Project:  "T"  Tiny Terrifying Thing

• Think about something you were terrified of as a kid. Some people have mentioned things like spiders, clowns, germs, needles, monsters, mall Santas, dentists, etc. Or, pick something that scares you now

• On your 3x3 card, draw a quick sketch of an image that represents this fear. It doesn't have to be the entire thing, you might just draw part of it (like the mouth with sharp teeth on a dog, or the tail of a snake)

• Use colors, if you like, to fill in the card. Add decoration and detail with a pen.

• Write the name of the fear on the back. 

                                                  

Beach terror Mugshot