CREATIVITY AMONGST LAWYERS WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN REDISCOVERING A CREATIVE OUTLET HELPS ONE ATTORNEY RECONNECT WITH HER INNER ARTIST BY NANCY L. GRACE | WAKE FAMILY LAW GROUP
IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE of life over the last 30 years, changing careers from teaching to practicing law, raising two children as a single parent, building a law practice and giving back to the legal profession through various professional activities, I forgot that I had an artistic side, and it took COVID-19 to help me rediscover it. When the pandemic hit in early spring, it took away in one fell swoop many of the activities that regularly brought joy to my life — traveling, Tar Heel sports, getting together with friends and spending time with my children and baby granddaughter. As an extrovert, I found myself struggling with this loss and with the isolation brought about by the pandemic restrictions. When I complained about this to my sister on a Zoom video conference, she suggested we do a virtual “sip and paint.” We signed up and did our first painting in mid-March. I hadn’t painted anything in more than 30 years, but after that first virtual class I was hooked. I stocked up on canvases and paint supplies, watched a few YouTube videos and started painting up a storm. I’m certainly not ready to quit my day job, and I doubt I’ll ever see a single canvas of mine hanging in an art gallery, but rediscovering this creative outlet has been a wonderful, positive side-benefit of the pandemic. And who knows, someday one of those paintings might just show up in the silent auction for the WCBA’s Bar Awards! WBF
You’re going places. You and your firm. We’ll help you get there.
WAKE BAR FLYER
13
FOURTH QUARTER 2020
