HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR INNER ARTIST
Discovering your inner artist might be something you thought was impossible. (Photo by Matthew-Trader on Unsplash)
“I am not creative because I can only draw a tree and a house, and they look just like what I learned to draw in kindergarten.” And although you love to go to concerts, you hear yourself saying “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
I wonder how that expression arose? First of all, tunes don’t belong in buckets.
They seek out niches in our hearts, and although some may grow into performances others become soundtracks while cleaning the house. Or even ‘earworms’, spreading through our bodies and souls to bring joy and peace that can’t be heard by others.
Feeling that some people are ‘born’ creative—and that we are not one of them—leaves a whole piece of our genetic inheritance unclaimed.
And there is no federal program to which you can apply to receive this unclaimed inheritance!
Each one of us came into existence with the power to create in our genetic code. We are ‘created’ beings of a ‘created’ universe.
Yes, there is disagreement about the nature of that creation, i.e., of God or a Big Bang.
But in some manner, we were all formed by something.
And that something is the creative essence in our being.
We can’t disclaim it by saying, “I am tone deaf.” Or “I can’t draw a straight line.”
The problem is that we have too narrow a definition for ‘artist.’
Besides oil painting and playing Chopin, are there other ways that we can honestly claim and celebrate our gifts and talents for creativity?
And discover our inner artist?
There are as many ways as there are individuals on the planet.
Still, I will list a few with the hope that you may find a few things in your repertoire of creativity that you already share with the world.
Things that make you an artist of life!
THE ART OF PARENTING
Parenting is often discounted as art because, after all, almost anyone can make a baby.
We have this notion that the capacity to bring something new and beautiful into the world is the ‘talent’ of a select few. (Photo by Wesley-Tingey on Unsplash)
Like those who commit themselves to 10K hours of practice at the piano.
Or people with a paintbrush and easel in their studio.
Because we know that any couple, without preparation or specialized training, can create a new life, we discount their role as artists.
Yet parents stand before the ‘canvas’ of a newborn with passion and ‘practice’ every day.
They bring life into a portrait of their vision for him or her. I dare say they practice a lot more than 10k hours! If you are a parent, you are an artist!
ART IN THE KITCHEN
As an artist in your kitchen, you have a studio many creatives would covet—complete with colors, textures, flavors, and design elements. (Photo by Katie-Smith on Unsplash)
Ah, but you say, “I’m just an ordinary cook. I mash potatoes and grill hamburgers. I’m not creative.”
Well, are you one of the many lucky people whose budget does not stretch much beyond necessities–and sometimes not even that?
I say ‘lucky’ because when we can’t just fork over money for every desire or need immediately, our inner artist rises to the easel of life and becomes creative in stretching dollars (or coins) beyond ‘ordinary.’
When my boys were little, I could buy an eggplant for 47 cents, and with a few eggs, some leftover ‘ends and crusts’ from a loaf of bread, a splash of cheap wine, and some salt and pepper I created a classy casserole.
They loved my art!
I built a repertoire of secret (cheap) ingredients as carefully as an artist makes his color palette.
Had I not been so ‘lucky,’ I would have been eating take-out or going to restaurants, and my culinary creativity would never have emerged.
And note, my creations are not masterpieces!
They, like the vast majority of art and music produced in the world, serve effectively as an outlet for the artist within, and to nourish the people who share it.
IT TAKES AN ARTIST TO
LIVE WITH LIMITATIONS
It takes an artist to live well with limitations, and as we age, we shall all bump into challenges, sooner or later.
How to reach the things on the top shelf when we no longer have the balance to climb a step stool? (Photo by Zhuangzi on Unsplash)
Or how to continue reading with eyes that no longer let in enough light?
Of course, we always have a choice to give up, but there is a creative yearning deep within each soul that whispers, “What if you put a dab of sky blue hope here or a swath of bright pink desire there?”
Our challenge is not step ladders and small print.
Our task is being open and still enough to hear that whisper.
Then we discover long-handled reachers with a claw at one end. And audiobooks…or extra large monitors with adaptive software.
We have just tapped into our creative inheritance!
Artists never grow old! They just create more!
Where does your inner artist reside, and what does he or she create?
Do you find novel solutions to problems?
When you tuck children in bed at night, is it always with a story?
Does your quiet, prayerful presence bring calm to a contentious meeting?
These are just a few ways an inner artist ‘paints.’
Creativity doesn’t need straight lines!
Or buckets to carry tunes.
Artistry only needs to be acknowledged and given a place to play. (Photo by Mael-Balland on Unsplash)
Our inner artist wants to get lost in creative expression and isn’t at all constrained by rules or definitions.
Where will you create today?
And when you do, I challenge you to call yourself an artist.
An artist of life.
A master whose vision and imagination have found their voice.
You may also enjoy reading “How to Catch a Slippery Thought“, or “What Does It Mean to Be Creative?”
