Very recently, I signed a lease for a little tiny space in an art studio. I've had boxes and boxes of markers, paper, glue, scissors, and random scraps of paper from museums I have visisted taking up space in my bedroom. It was starting to overflow and take over. I guess you could call it my inner artist's hope chest. We have these inner longings that we often ignore just because of life's to-do lists: work, bills, obligations, etc. And, we never get connected to what our spirit really wants from us.
When the Highlights magazine would come in the mailbox when I was in elementary school, my favorite section was the arts and crafts spread. I just loved the seasonal activities: making something out of pine cones for fall or creating a handmade Mother's Day card in the spring. I could spend hours gluing, drawing, and coloring.
As we get older, we are told to give up on those things. Perhaps it's a little antiquated to be a fan of crafts when you get older. Maybe your friends don't enjoy it or maybe you just don't have the time.
Actually, that's just a myth. Don't wait for great amounts of time anymore. Get a pencil (any old pencil) or a Sharpie and a piece of scrap paper. Better yet, have a small notepad and a pen in your bag. While you're waiting for your friend at a restaurant or have a spare 5 minutes, start doodling. Draw what you see right now. Be inspired by the photos in the fall magazines. Look at how the light hits the street after a rainy, warm Indian summer night. Have your knitting supplies sitting on your bedstand.
Little doses of art can uplift your spirit, take your mind off things, and nourish a part of you that is often neglected as adults. Art is an amazing agent in slowing things down. An art teacher told me to slow my pace down. I really didn't understand what she meant. I always created in a harried existence: print deadlines, budgets, and organizing words and images under someone else's vision. I didn't know what my style was and I had never slowed down long enough to really, really be present in what was going on around me.
How we create can really have an effect on our spirit... Is there a project you have been aching to do for months? Why do you buy so much scrapbook paper and markers? Is there an exhibit you missed because you forgot to make it a priority to go? Those are little signs that our life needs a little creativity, shape, color, design, and art.
Create now. Appreciate art now. Live in the moment now.
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