Rhik Samadder tries … mindful painting: ‘It dawns on me that I’m a very talented artist’

Keen to unlock your inner creativity? De-stress and unwind? Or merely improve the quality of the gifts you make for friends? Step right this way

Have you ever forgotten to buy a loved one a birthday present? Here's a tip. Get a card, then draw a picture inside of you giving them the gift you intend to buy them later. It's a charming IOU, impossible to resent. I'm not the best at hands or faces, so the result often resembles demons in hell, spearing each other, which isn't what everyone wants to see on their birthday. Particularly when you later forget to buy the present. To rescue an otherwise flawless system, I've come to an alfresco painting class to hone my dark art.

MasterPeace Studios promises to unlock anyone's inner creativity. To prove it, those in charge tell me to choose a personal photograph I'd like to paint. I select a photo of my friend Amish Tom, at a recent pizza party we threw. In the picture, he's rolling dough with his elegant fingers, sunlight striking his face. He's extremely photogenic, which I don't mind. But is he painting-genic? Why is there no word for this?