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“Starry Night”, Van Gogh
I believe we are all born with an artistic ability. It is one of the oldest forms of communication, and helps us to release our inner self. The past few months I have been working to get my life back on track. I have been sliding off course due to chronic health issues that hit me over a year ago. Since then life has been a blur, but the one constant has been art. Whether it was writing a piece for my blog, knitting a shawl, or painting a piece of fabric, art has helped me to make sense of my experiences, release my emotions, and find joy everyday.
I enrolled in a wonderful painting course at Fleisher Art Memorial that has changed my life dramatically. My amazing teacher and artist, Mr. John Sevcik, uses his warm-hearted and critical eye to bring out the artist in all of us. My creative side lay dormant for many years, particularly painting. I almost forgot that I ever did. But as soon as I picked up my paintbrush in his class, mixed my acrylic paints, and touched the canvas, I was home. Painting is more than just creating visually interesting artwork. It is the release of emotions. It is a therapeutic process that helps to melt the stresses of our days. I fantasize how Van Gogh felt, and what his brushstrokes said to him…knowing what mine say to me.
Wherever you are, make sure to make art part of your life. Enroll in classes through great organizations such as Fleisher Art Memorial, Mt. Airy Learning Tree, and others in your local area. Many times classes can be founds at local arts/ crafts stores, such as Dick Blick, AC Moore, Michaels, Jane’s Yarn Shoppe, and more. Or just ask a friend who is an artist to lend you some supplies so you can get a taste of art right at home. I recently lent my good friend Dianne some watercolor supplies. She is an artist as well, but is just starting to practice after a long break. We had a great discussion of how when our imaginations die, we lose our creativity and our ability to reach for our dreams…let alone dream them. We agreed that art was so important but many times overlooked. When is the last time you drew something? When is the last time you wrote? Played a piece of music? Dianne and I both reminisced on the lost time when we ignored our creative spirits. The next day after we hung out, she texted me how great she felt after painting. She felt such an emotional release, and was grateful to be back in touch with her artistic soul. I hope you take that journey to explore your creativity. Never forget we all have an artist inside, and we all have emotions to convey. I’ll leave you with that, as I head to my studio to paint. I hope to be sharing photos of my work soon on my blog, so stay tuned.