At times, I have no filter. Even though I’m an introvert, my mouth can be unstoppable, and I end up being too honest for my own good—which often backfires on me.

Once, I told a subordinate to “use her common sense” during an argument where she was clearly in the wrong. Not exactly wrong, but ignorant. She cried to my superior, and I got blasted because apparently saying “use your common sense” implies that I was calling her stupid.

I was shocked. I had always thought common sense was, well, common.

But recently I’ve learned that common sense can actually be uncommon. Not everyone has it. Take the show Shameless, for example: there’s a scene where they wash a baby’s bum after he poops using the same sponge later used for dishwashing.

That’s a perfect example of lacking the kind of basic sense most families or societies would teach. These people simply didn’t have anyone to guide them, so they missed out on what we assume is “common” sense.

Did you use any additional medium—like water, oil, or spirit—for the darker areas, or you just layered the color?