Listen To Art

Why is art essential in our homes? The answer isn’t as simple as you think. There is way more to art than just hanging up something because you want decoration or like the colors. I’m going to explain why we all need a few special pieces of artwork in our living spaces. Creating art in of itself is one big parable. Let me explain.

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’keefe

If you’ve never studied art, one of the first things a good instructor will teach you is to loosen up, relax and start with very light, loose sketch marks. Move around the entire canvas or paper, don’t restrict yourself only in one section. Keep moving all over. Keep a sensitive touch with your drawing tool.  Keep it light so you are barely making physical contact with your paper or canvas. Staying light allows for more flexibility as you work on the drawing. No erasers are invited to this party. Yes, that means it’s okay for mistakes and wrong turns to happen. When you allow this to happen you will naturally work more fluidly, continually move forward, and accept and deal with your mistakes, rather than feeling stuck and backtracking all the time with an eraser.

Life is telling you to keep up, move fast, be perfect, while art communicates relax, stay loose, accept and deal with your mistakes and keep going, but take your time.

We are all surrounded by perfect machine-made items in our homes. It’s all around us, even on our screens. When you invite art in it becomes something that can effortlessly bring life back into a room. We need that human rawness in our spaces.

Art makes us and our homes feel more human.

The largest painting in my home is displayed in my living room and it is unfinished. And that is okay for now. I’ve learned to take risks and to embrace vulnerability—because the result is often something beautiful.

With a work of art, when you’re really looking at it you can feel and see a sense of time, physical effort, and skill that went into its creation. Examining the artist’s fingerprints, their movement in brush strokes or any of their unique marks on the work is a reminder of the person behind that work of art. By paying attention to these small details we can become more aware of how they are pursuing their passions and working against the grain.  This then can also inspire and motivate us to do something.

Art is a form of dialogue.

Words in general are not my strength. I communicate most clearly and effectively through what I create. Art is the perfect way to express who you are to both yourself and others.

When you love a piece enough to hang it or display it, that can say a lot about you. Maybe the art compliments your personality or it speaks to your personal values in life. Art is the perfect translator forging deeper connections with those who live or are invited in your home.

Art can evoke powerful emotions when we look at it. Art can cheer us up, make us feel calm after a long or bad day, make us remember, or inspire us to do more in life.

Art provides reflection that enables us to think much deeper on our own reactions, emotion, and thoughts. These can be positive or negative – we are not isolated in our thoughts. Art can even challenge us intellectually.

When we open ourselves to these feelings, we push ourselves to think more openly, to challenge ourselves and to see the world from a different perspective. Artwork that speaks to our values hanging in our own home is a daily reminder to question our habits and thoughts and become more self aware.

Make your home a wonderful place to feel comfortable in. Surround yourself with art you love and make it personal. If you feel you can’t afford it, then you are thinking too hard. It’s not true. You can buy prints, use your children’s art (as I’ve done in my own home), or create your own art in various ways. There are endless ways to achieve this.

My son Sam and I started a painting of Christ together a long time ago. It was his first efforts at a face. It was never finished, but the time we spent together, the mistakes and efforts we created together were precious. We came out feeling peaceful and content with where we were at, not upset because it wasn’t finished, not frustrated because it’s not where we saw it going but a sense of great love because we tried and enjoyed the journey.

Life is an art.  When we relax, stay loose, accept and learn from our mistakes, accept what we can’t control and choose to keep going we find ourselves learning to appreciate the journey and find great love during both the good and uncomfortable times. All of this is possible when we focus on the beauty we can control. We learn from that which we create… and recreate.

Bring art into your home and listen to it.

Happy Easter and stay well.

XO

Melessa