I have a love-hate relationship with art.

You see, I flunked art almost every semester in primary and secondary school, and yet I became a film major in my polytechnic days. In essence, I spent three years committing what most people would deem as academic suicide.

But if there’s anything film school has taught me over three years, it’s the beauty of how an artist can turn a blank canvas into a masterpiece, and how that masterpiece often costs almost everything to create.

Lessons like these are what I learnt in my time as a film major, and there are two artists in particular that I’ve gleaned a lot from. 

#1 WES ANDERSON: LIFE IS NOT GOING TO BE PERFECT

As a film major, he was one of my biggest film obsessions. Wes Anderson is an American filmmaker known for films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and most recently, Isle of Dogs.

He’s perhaps best known for his unique visual style. From his distinct pastel colour palettes to his famous line of symmetry rule that makes OCD freaks squeal in satisfaction, his works are true masterpieces.

The reality is that we don’t always get the shot we want – sometimes we spot flaws and end up having to make do.

This is because Anderson makes every frame a painting. This is a film-making philosophy that demands absolute perfection from every shot, actor and prop. Speaking from experience, this takes a lot of effort.

But the reality is that we don’t always get the shot we want – sometimes we spot flaws and end up having to make do. And that’s just like life. We would love to have the Wes Anderson, picture-perfect life, but circumstances are often beyond our control.

#2 BOB ROSS: THERE ARE ONLY “HAPPY LITTLE ACCIDENTS”

I’ve always found Bob Ross super peaceful to watch and listen to. With his silky smooth voice and signature afro, his TV programme The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross was all about painting beautiful landscapes of mountains, lakes and snowy scenes.

Bob Ross had various iconic catch phrases like “happy little trees” on his show. But the one that really stood out to me was “happy little accidents”.

You see, whenever Bob paints, he never makes a mistake. There are just happy little accidents. And he works around the “mistakes” to create something beautiful.

When I think about these two artists, I really think about life.

What is our hope when our life doesn’t quite look like a Wes Anderson picture? I might mess up, but He certainly doesn’t make any mistakes.

And whenever I think of Bob Ross, I’m reminded that God is the master painter in my life. In fact, it’s only Him who can turn my whole life around to become a beautiful masterpiece.

Regardless of how bad things went in my schooling years and relationships, or how bad they might get in the future, I know that God can use them to make my canvas His masterpiece.

There’s a master artist watching over your life too. I invite you to trust Him, so that even when things do go wrong, you have the absolute certainty I do. God can take your whole life and turn it into a beautiful masterpiece.

How can God turn the canvas of your life into a masterpiece? Find out at COLORS, an outdoor concert happening on September 8, 2019 from 5-9 pm at Palawan Beach, Sentosa.