My walks in and out of Bandra usually surround discovery. Almost every week a new place opens, which means the face of the buzzing suburb keeps changing
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Me Time, Khar West (Indoors)
My walks in and out of Bandra usually surround discovery. Almost every week a new place opens, which means the face of the buzzing suburb keeps changing. During one such jaunt, I discover a board that says, "Crestar's Me Time: Unwind. Create. Grow." And I'm hooked.
Me Time is a newly opened art studio, where you can choose your medium of art and work on it undisturbed. Excited, I sign the kids up for a slot to paint and unwind on an afternoon.
We walk in to find a bright, cheerful place with works of art and canvases all around, banners urging us to "believe in yourself", jars with paints and brushes and much more. Proprietor Sunayana Shah guides us through our options, but reiterates that the idea is that we should pick what we want to do.
What you choose and the amount of time you work on it is what you pay for. The cost is reasonable and inclusive of the medium you wish to work in, all the art supplies, easels and aprons used during your session, a hot beverage and the choice to work in air-conditioned indoors or the outdoors. You can pick between canvas painting and corrugated metal sheet painting, or paint on a ceramic tile, work on a special round canvas clock, do a bit of carpentry and make a bird feeder, or work on glass bottles. Shah tells us that more options are in the works.
Me Time is a corollary of Crestar's creative centre, where children from two and a half to eight years are taught how to paint. "Art is a natural coping tool because it engages the mind and body positively and releases stress," says Shah, who is a self-taught artist and comes from a family that loves art. The reason why an untrained child can produce something endearing is because he creates freely without the tyranny of perfectionism and comparisons, says Shah. Me Time was opened to re-invent the same thing: making art just for the joy of it.
Once the kids decide what they want to work on, they are led to the 1,500-sq ft studio, which is a delight. The range of pencils, brushes and jars of paints is mind-boggling. The music is young and hip, and Vani, my 12-year-old, is instantly smiling. Both, she and my son Ammol, 10, choose their canvas size, which is then placed on an easel. Two assistants come and cover the table with newspaper.
Now they can "mess around" without worrying. There are reference albums if you are unsure of what you want to paint and the kids are given blank sheets to do some rough work if they wish.
Mugs of water to dip or clean their brush and a palette to mix paints is provided.
There is a blackboard and the walls are filled with works of the people who have tried their hand at painting here. It's just the three of us in the studio, the two assistants and a grandmother, who has come from another city, and is here every day to paint for an hour and have her 'me time'.
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