3/27/2015

Art in Life



Each day when I wake up it's like waking up to a monster. 
This beast in front of me that I must conquer. 
It's size is overwhelming, it's complexity perplexing and it's depth is monumental.
 What beast do I speak of? 
My house.


I am an artist first and foremost. I think, eat and breathe art. 
If I must do something I want to put all of me into it. 
It MUST be creative. 
I don't think I am capable of doing anything without throwing a touch of color, of design, MY idea of style into it. I realize that that in itself makes life more complicated, but I never said I was simple.


       I am one of those people who can get lost in intricacy. 
I love to delve deep into the making of EVERYTHING. Some of my favorite things to do are the most complicated, tiny, intricate things that a person could imagine. Mastering something like that is more satisfying than anything else I can think of.

       So possibly, you can imagine what a monster my house is.
 It is wonderful with it's little foibles, its funky little corners and interesting elements. 
It is also a mess, at almost every turn there is something else that needs fixing, cleaning, patching, building. This is not creativity, this is not design. This is hard work and simple construction. 
The artist in me feels hampered.

         Some days I dream of what this house will be when we are finished, All the rough spots smoothed, the broken replaced and everything streamlined into a home. 
Then I think, I can go back to doing my art full time! 
I wonder though how true that would be. I have found in my life that my art shines brightest when I am in the middle of intense emotion. I don't care if I am sad or mad or deeply head over heels in love, that is when it chooses to shine. Will having my house all nice and bright and fixed bring about those strong emotions? I doubt it. I think that maybe that would be the time when my art would be it's dullest. 

          And I guess that is where my deepest frustration lies right now. On the one hand my time is needed here, making my house a home and on the other my time is right to make my art, to work now when my passion runs so deep. 
The excitement of living in this place, of making something new...of creating this thing, this home is rejuvenating. It is a strong and powerful emotion, one that could make much art. But who has time for art when the kitchen needs organized? The garden needs planning and oops, Iota made another mess in the front yard. 
Who can make art in chaos like this anyway? 
My studio is overran with things that don't belong there...and too cold to work in anyway. There are not enough hours in the day to do both what I want and what I need. 

          So right now to survive, I try to see the art in little things. Did I just cut out a small horde of little labels to put on my spice jars? Yes...yes I really did. 

Is it silly? Oh that is truly is. 

Was it necessary? As necessary as the air I breathe.

It might not seem like much to most but it is my little mark here. It is my art of the moment, little as it may be. 

9 comments on "Art in Life"
  1. Art is in everything, and an artist will never be stifled. Keep up the fabulous work AND art, dearest!

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  2. Art is in everything, and an artist will never be stifled. Keep up the fabulous work AND art, dearest!

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    1. Thank you Teri, for the encouragement and the lift. <3

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  3. As Teri said - art is in everything I am finding. Even when you do some mundane patching of holes or reworking of a structure - it is art. It may not be the most creative and beautiful art that you have mastered but it is an art and you just have to remember that. You will have a lot of fun with your house projects! Cathy

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    1. I am having a lot of fun, I walk into the kitchen and see my wall of shelves with all their jars almost done and it makes me happy. It is pretty and clean and bright and it is what I needed. And I have so many more walls to work on LOL...a whole house full of them.

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  4. Your home will be a new work of art as you move from room to room adding your stamp of creativity!
    Can't wait to see the improvements. Those labels are adorable!
    Patti

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    1. Thank you Patti, I will be making them available for download hopefully today (have to figure out how to offer them on my page first)
      It is fun working on this transformation, it is so much fun!

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  5. I understand only too well, the unsettling and mental noise that clatter and ugliness create.
    All humans and especially artists, need beauty.

    Don't worry about losing your emotional inspiration. There are always things around us to create passion.

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    1. You are so right, every time I get that way I turn around and find it peeking out from some unexpected corner ;)

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