Today is National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day! I love art! I'm not one to generally go to the museum and check out the famous artists on display. It's not that I don't appreciate the beauty of their work, I do. But what I love more is creating!
Sometimes what I create is a flop and sometimes it is fun or beautiful. No matter how it turns out, I enjoy the process. I have a whole closet of art and craft supplies. There are plenty of options when I get the urge to create. My daughter seems ot be a fan too which I love! We draw and finger paint. We even sketch on her little doodle board. And it isn't that I am an amazing realism artist. You probably couldn't tell my cat from my goat; it is simply the process of trying.
Painting and drawing are not the only forms of art. When my daughter and I make a fort and we take time to add in special details or even just a special entrance it is a form of creativity. When we mold Playdoh into whole picnic lunches or forest friends; that is art. When we build a block tower and choose blocks to make a pretty pattern, art.
I think that is what I love about art best. It comes in a million forms and provides at least as many outlets. If you are like me, it forces us to get over the perfectionist attitude and embrace the outcome either way. Art is not always beautiful.
One of my favorite ways to create art while practicing letting go of perfection is my zen waterboard. IT allows me to paint with water on a board, creating whatever flows out on a whim and then it fades and disappears in only a couple minutes. The picture is always changing. It is so freeing to let go of the attachment of a finished product.
As adults I think we often forget to keep this creative side alive and active. Yet now, with the daily stress of adulthood, is probably when we need it most. And the benefit of being the adult is YOU get to decide which pieces, if any, you keep and which were just a momentary release of stress that can be tossed.
Look at the picture above. My daughter and I did these a few weeks ago. Most of the time I do not take photos of what we create. We used a variety of techniques from painting with sponges to dotting with our fingers to folding and smearing. Some of mine I like and some I don't but they were all fun to create and I loved the time with my daughter. The benefit of hers is we can use them as "cards" and mail them to grandmas or aunts and uncles with a little note. Mine will either end up cut up and used for a different art project or thrown out. It is all part of the process.
I'm grateful for art. I'm grateful to see how art can come in a million forms. I'm grateful to try to integrate art into my day as often as possible. I'm grateful my daughter loves creating as much as I do. And I'm grateful for the inspirations he gives me to make even ordinary tasks more artistic. I'm grateful my daughter has a good imagination like me and even "finds" creativity as she eats her food; seeing boats or dinosaurs as she takes bites off her food. I'm grateful for this day to remind me that art is more than a fun past time and that it can uplift and inspire every aspect of my life. And I'm grateful for all the art and craft supplies I have collected over the years so that I have abundant options when I want to create!
When was the last time you made art? How can you add some creativity into your day?
May today remind us the importance of play and creativity to our mental balance. May we reconnect with our child-selves, let go of judgement, and just let ourselves create! Have a beautiful day!
Sometimes what I create is a flop and sometimes it is fun or beautiful. No matter how it turns out, I enjoy the process. I have a whole closet of art and craft supplies. There are plenty of options when I get the urge to create. My daughter seems ot be a fan too which I love! We draw and finger paint. We even sketch on her little doodle board. And it isn't that I am an amazing realism artist. You probably couldn't tell my cat from my goat; it is simply the process of trying.
Painting and drawing are not the only forms of art. When my daughter and I make a fort and we take time to add in special details or even just a special entrance it is a form of creativity. When we mold Playdoh into whole picnic lunches or forest friends; that is art. When we build a block tower and choose blocks to make a pretty pattern, art.
I think that is what I love about art best. It comes in a million forms and provides at least as many outlets. If you are like me, it forces us to get over the perfectionist attitude and embrace the outcome either way. Art is not always beautiful.
One of my favorite ways to create art while practicing letting go of perfection is my zen waterboard. IT allows me to paint with water on a board, creating whatever flows out on a whim and then it fades and disappears in only a couple minutes. The picture is always changing. It is so freeing to let go of the attachment of a finished product.
As adults I think we often forget to keep this creative side alive and active. Yet now, with the daily stress of adulthood, is probably when we need it most. And the benefit of being the adult is YOU get to decide which pieces, if any, you keep and which were just a momentary release of stress that can be tossed.
Look at the picture above. My daughter and I did these a few weeks ago. Most of the time I do not take photos of what we create. We used a variety of techniques from painting with sponges to dotting with our fingers to folding and smearing. Some of mine I like and some I don't but they were all fun to create and I loved the time with my daughter. The benefit of hers is we can use them as "cards" and mail them to grandmas or aunts and uncles with a little note. Mine will either end up cut up and used for a different art project or thrown out. It is all part of the process.
I'm grateful for art. I'm grateful to see how art can come in a million forms. I'm grateful to try to integrate art into my day as often as possible. I'm grateful my daughter loves creating as much as I do. And I'm grateful for the inspirations he gives me to make even ordinary tasks more artistic. I'm grateful my daughter has a good imagination like me and even "finds" creativity as she eats her food; seeing boats or dinosaurs as she takes bites off her food. I'm grateful for this day to remind me that art is more than a fun past time and that it can uplift and inspire every aspect of my life. And I'm grateful for all the art and craft supplies I have collected over the years so that I have abundant options when I want to create!
When was the last time you made art? How can you add some creativity into your day?
May today remind us the importance of play and creativity to our mental balance. May we reconnect with our child-selves, let go of judgement, and just let ourselves create! Have a beautiful day!
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