Life as Art
Using the process of creating can give a template to transform your life.
Drawing and painting has always been an insightful and energy producing adventure in my life. The process of creating it is as fruitful as the product! I have come to realize that all creating uses the same skills as making artwork..... including shaping my life! Using the process of creating can give a template to transform your life.
So what is "art" anyway? According to Eric Booth, in the extraordinarily insightful book the everyday work of art
"At he birth of the word"art" it was a verb that meant "to put things together." It was not a product but a process. If we can reclaim that view of art_ as a way of looking at and doing things, as a series of experiences and experiments_ all of us gain a fresh grasp on the proven practical ways to construct the quality of our lives."
So let's look at the definitions of both work and art to divine the process!
According to the Visual Thesaurus the verb "to work" is to
"exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; apply through; think through"
and defines"art" as
"the products of human creativity; works of art collectively; the creation of beautiful or significant things; a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation"
Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the NY Times and author of the book, "The Accidental Masterpiece; On the Art of Life and Vice Versa" clearly articulates the process of art making in our daily lives! He integrates stories of artists in his book, demonstrating how their way of working can easily be applied to our lives.
"...art provides us with clues about how to live our own lives more fully... creating, collecting, and even just appreciating art can make living a daily masterpiece."
I have come across blogs that are created with the attitude of an artist. "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin is one. Her journey into the ways of attaining happiness share depth and balance. I always leave her site with at least one new perception. It is definitely worth checking out!