That Elm Street complex sounds like a mess. Did you check if the other units had the same problem, or was it just that one apartment?

Ever try drawing on the back of a takeout menu? I did that once when I couldn't find my sketchpad. The grease stains and food splotches made me think about texture in a totally different way for a fabric design. It felt less like a precious drawing and more like just playing around, which is when the good stuff happens. Why does nice paper sometimes make you freeze up?

Used to treat them like furniture, just part of the wall. Watched a brand new 4-inch compound gauge on an air receiver let go at maybe 20 psi during a leak check. The whole face shattered and the needle shot across the room like a dart. Stuck in a styrofoam cup on a workbench. Never stand directly in front of one now.

Our old shop swore by adding a half percent silicon to aluminum castings for engine brackets... stopped all the hot cracking.

Is it really that deep though? New stuff comes out all the time. Some artists will want the fast, bright paints. Others will stick with the old ways. It's just more options, not a personal attack.