Star Trek Imagines (Reader-Inserts) Part Two

TNG. Data - Art Teacher

The door to the turbolift opened, revealing Data waiting to get on.

You smiled as he stepped in. "Hey, Data."

"Hello Y/N," he replied. "Deck ten."

"Are you going to Ten Forward?" you asked.

"I am. I am meeting Geordi for nineteen hundred hours, but I decided to go early and do what you all call people watching."

You laughed softly. "Sounds fun. I was heading to Ten Forward, too. Mind if I join you?"

He nodded. "I do not mind. I have been meaning to ask you for some advice, anyway."

"About what?" you asked, eyebrow raised in question.

The turbolift stopped at deck ten and you both stepped out.

"Art," he replied.

Your brow furrowed momentarily. "What about art?"

"I understand that you enjoy painting in your free time," Data said. "I would like to experiment with painting more, but I am uncertain how to add more emotion to my art when I in fact have none."

You shook your head, a faint smile on your lips. "I wouldn't say you have none. I think you have your own kind of emotions, Data."

"While I believe that to be inaccurate, I appreciate the sentiment."

You smiled. "As for painting, sometimes you just have to let the brush guide your hand and not the other way around.'

"I do not understand." He looked at you, head tilted. "How does an inanimate object guide one's hand?"

You reached Ten Forward and opened the door as you spoke, "It doesn't literally. Just... don't overthink the art. Don't force it. You have to relax your mind and let the art develop on its own. Think of it as being its own entity—it's trying to grow and you're just coaxing it along."

Data pulled a chair out for you at a table in the back of the room. "I see. But if I am to think about not overthinking, am I not actually making myself overthink?"

You laughed and sat down. "Well, yeah, sometimes. I guess I meant that if you're too busy worrying about making your art perfect, you'll void it of any uniqueness that comes from emotion and passion. Don't worry about the technique being perfect, just enjoy the process and see what comes out of it."

Data, who was now seated across from you, tilted his head to the side. "But do I not want to strive to perfect certain techniques?"

"Sure, but that can't be the only thing you focus on," you replied. "Art is about more than technique, Data. It's about letting your imagination run wild. It's about letting your emotions express themselves through patterns and colours. It's about just getting lost in the moment and enjoying yourself."

"I see." Data mulled that over for a moment. "So you are saying that if I want to become a good painter, I must not focus on what makes a good painting?"

"Something like that." You smiled and shook your head. "Good art isn't all about the background being blended to perfection, or about keeping the lines straight, or making it as realistic as possible. Sometimes the best art is lacking in many areas, but that what makes it good. It's what makes it unique."

Data nodded. "I think I understand. Thank you, Y/N. You have been most helpful."

"Glad I could help," you said. "Maybe we could have a paint night sometime together."

"A paint night?" he asked.

"Basically we just get together and paint. Sometimes we follow a tutorial, other times we don't," you explained.

"Ah. That would be acceptable."

"It's a date, then," you said with a grin.

Data looked confused. "I must have missed some cue signalling that you were romantically interested in me. I apologize, but—"

"No, Data, it's just an expression," you said with a laugh. "It just means that it's a plan."

He blinked. "Ah. Then I look forward to our painting date."