Backstory: This nudge is inspired by part from when I taught myself how to whistle through my fingers by watching YouTube videos. My main inspiration, however, came from our friend, who we’ll call “Mr. Fab.” A few years ago, in his late 50s, Mr. Fab decided to learn how to cook. His wife is an excellent cook, so he had no need to add this to his skills set, he just wanted to try something new. And not just “How to scramble eggs.” The first meal we had with him was a roasted suckling pig. Bam! He learned how select his protein, prep and cook it, and carve it, all from watching videos online.

When I drew this nudge early this morning, I didn’t have to think long and hard about what I might like to do. I want to learn how to make pretty patterns in our coffees, like those cool people do at cool coffeehouses. So here’s this morning’s cup, as a baseline (i.e., just a mocha).

Tomorrow I’ll set aside time to search for and watch instructional videos. Fun!

What might you learn this week?

What Happened: OMG THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN I LEARNED A LOT CAFFEINE IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND!!!

…deep breath…I had a lot of espresso this week. 😉

After watching and studying different videos about the basics, tips, super fancy creations, and very intricate and beautiful designs, I felt I was ready to dive in. Tuesday morning, I created my first latte art heart:

I laughed so hard, if I’d taken a sip, it would have come out my nose. I texted the photo to a friend. “Check out my first-ever latte art heart!” She replied, “Maybe you should tell people you were going for ‘lungs’.” HA! 🙂

I swallowed my pride (and a very yummy beverage) and tried again Wednesday morning, this time attempting a hibiscus flower:

Okay, not horrible. More practice followed.

This morning I tried the hibiscus flower yet again:

I wasn’t happy with how it looked, so added some swirls and decided to call this a “swirling snowflake”. I think it’s very pretty.

The Ah-Hahs: This affirmed something I’ve always known about my self: I am a wordsmith, not a visual artist. Still, it was fun to stretch my creative muscles and try something totally outside my wheelhouse.

I also learned than when you concentrate and take your time and try to do latte art right, the one thing you’re guaranteed to get is cold coffee. So when I’m making coffee drinks at home, I’m just going to blend everything together and enjoy the warm goodness. And the next time I am handed a beautifully decorated coffee drink in a coffeehouse–that’s still hot!–I’m giving that barista a huge tip!