The Language of Paint by Number

I remember meeting my mother in law, affectionately known as Totoy, for the first time. I was so eager to impress, but we had a very significant language barrier - she hails from Bogota, Colombia and struggled with English almost as much as I struggled with Spanish! - See pic from June 2019

Since that first meeting, we have each made great progress learning the other language, but there have been some really interesting barriers that we have overcome. I will never forget the first time we watched The Sound of Music together. It turns out that Colombians watched that movie as much as we did - the dialogue was in Spanish but the songs stayed in English. So it was a really wonderful experience to belt out all of our favorite songs during that movie and bond over a common experience. 

Art has the same power - art has always been regarded as a universal language - this is a medium that speaks to people regardless of where they come from or what language they speak. We all have favorites, but you can stand in a museum in any city in the world next to your fellow man, and it doesn’t really matter what language anyone speaks. 

Many years ago, Totoy and I bonded over paint by number kits, along with my wife, mother, sister-in-law, and kids. I recall taking the time to choose each kit based on what I thought each person would like, and we had so much fun when I broke out the big surprise. We spread out on the huge kitchen table at the house we rented for vacation and spent HOURS listening to music, joking around, and enjoying each other. 

Paint by number kits take universal language to a whole new level. Our kits are designed to be easy to break out and enjoy. It’s a beautiful way to shift from conversation to the shared activity. The act of painting becomes a common ground and a shared cultural experience. It’s a way to spend quality time together. Make the joy of creating something beautiful the primary form of communication, and watch your relationship grow!

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