Let's connect to talk art, to make art, and to share the art of life. 

Art-making is arguably a practice of storytelling. Each time we pause to look at a piece of art, we get immersed in someone else’s story and at the same time we get reminded of our own. 

 

For years, artists have been telling stories through their work. Depending on the times and the maker’s choices of elements and subject matter, the narrative is usually linear with characters or settings revealing themselves in many different ways. Independent of aesthetics, from detailed hyper realistic pieces to minimalistic abstracted marks, and even when the theme may seem the simple observation of a common subject, there is almost always something else. Feelings communicate through the brushstrokes on the canvas, or whatever the surface, in colors, shapes, moods, and values. Our mind —conscious and subconscious—, is left to engage in a dialogue of emotions, experiences, and imagination. Hence, a work of art is only complete when it reaches its viewer. Through that connection, a new story is born, charged with meaning and a life of its own.

 

Under spiritual lenses, one can see an interrelatedness that starts and goes further: while the artist channels a message connected to his or her personal experiences, a deeper and collective message may come from a higher source, the ultimate creator. Socrates once said, “God takes away the minds of poets, and uses them as his ministers”. The same can be said of dancers, visual artists, and songwriters.

 

I see my own time spent at the studio as practice for all things of life: a life that feels rich and full when we set time for contemplation before and after engaging in action. The actual act of making or creating demands both, physicality and spirit, and that is a great metaphor for life! 

 

There are so many possibilities to investigate when talking about art:

 

• Art as a hobby: Usually undervalued, craft making brings many benefits to your well-being. Embracing playfulness in our daily lives is proven to add to the quality of our lives. When we deprive ourselves of it can, on the contrary, make our physical health and emotional wellness suffer. So, get serious about your creative play, pick a craft, and start having fun with it. It may not require a lot of depth or skills, but this practice is not bereft of worthiness.

 

• Art as a healing practice:  Its therapeutic nature makes art an easy-to-reach tool for self-regulation and has many emotional and mental health benefits. When we focus on the process rather than the final product, the creation, in whatever medium it comes, emerges under the light with added meaning, sometimes in the form of a timely answer. A powerful team takes shape when the maker, the facilitator or coach, and the creation meet in a space purposely carved for healing and connection.

 

• Art as a profession: When looking at art under this premise, much needs to be taken into consideration. From purpose, mission, and values, to building and growing the appropriate skills, to courage for exploration, risk, failure, and a renewed commitment to continuing the adventure; plus, the ever-daunting monetizing aspect of art with its innate controversies, limitations (real and non-real) and elusiveness. Simply put, it is the responsibility of the artist to seek the right balance, so he/she doesn’t get consumed by it and risk what really matters: to continue making art! — especially when understood as a genuine commitment to connect and “give” to others through the work. But it is also the responsibility of the recipient to protect what is being given through mutual support, respect, and gratitude.

 

So, there is art’s array of riches: contemplation and action, giving and receiving, connecting and supporting each other. What is the purpose of art if not to help us grow into better versions of who we were yesterday, to help us improve our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with our common home, mother Earth. I believe art guides us generously and compassionately all the way: ART IS A WAY OF LIVING.