Imagine ... Your Inner Artist

“Art awakens a sense of “real” by establishing an intimate relationship between our inner being and the universe at large, bringing us a consciousness of deep joy.”

Tagore.

While contemplating a new adventure and looking around for a location on the US East Coast, my daughter and I had the serendipity to come across an unusual and beautiful place. My daughter had recently graduated as a bookbinder and announcing that news to our Airbnb host in Hudson, NY, set all of it in motion. We took over the property from 2 well-known artists - Richard Minsky, a book artist, and Barbara Slate, a feminist cartoonist. The house itself also has an inventive spirit: it started out as a brick factory in the late 1800’s, transformed into a linen printing workshop, and was then remodeled a few times until its current state, as a home with a bookbindery and even some gallery space. Art stands central to our lives now.

In the middle of unpacking and having to complete a multitude of projects on the property, my daughter and I signed up to participate in a local Christmas Fair. While assisting her in creating cards and journals, I’ve been musing “what makes one an artist? And am I one”? I feel I was born to appreciate art and beauty, and all of my life I have been creative one way or another: I learned how to sew and knit and crochet from my grandmothers, studied piano, macrame-d my way through high school, gardened, picked up some wood and metal working skills along the way, became a fabulous cook during Covid, dabble in writing, and have always been good at interior decorating. Yet I never considered myself an “artist” as such. So how important is it to feel “artistic”, to consider oneself an artist? Very, it turns out. 

There are multitudes of books and (research) articles to be found online that expound artistic endeavors’ many benefits (this The Conversation article has links to many of them). Tapping into your inner artist, the creative resources within you, is one of the most underrated ways to create wellbeing. At its core, creativity is about expressing oneself. This can improve self-confidence, reduce feelings of insecurity and even anxiety, and instead convey a sense of hope and possibilities in overcoming challenges. In that way, it really is, what we call in MBSR, informal meditation. While engaging in creative expression - the verb itself says it - you are engaged, you are driving what you are doing in this very moment, you have agency over your here and now. In those moments, you are the artist of and in your own life!  

If this doesn’t resonate, maybe imagine yourself again as a child, how joyful and relaxed you were when dancing a little dance, telling your own invented story, plucking strings on a guitar, or drawing a wild picture. It seems to me that the only thing that gets in the way of seeing ourselves as artists, is the fact that as adults we have become too critical and can’t get past whatever sense of perfection we have in our mind. So let’s circle back and consider this: maybe we are really born artists, every one of us!

Taking a moment … and maybe feeling a bit of awe. Being creative isn’t about being admired and becoming well-known, it’s about enjoying beauty and possibilities and using our imagination right here, right now, non judgmentally, with curiosity and compassion. Thich Nhat Hanh (*) writes in The Miracle of Mindfulness: “Every single thing you do must be the most important thing in your life, being mindful 24 hours per day.” Why not carve out some amount of time each day being creative, feeling joyful, expressing yourself, being deeply in touch with yourself. And when you are doubting if you are doing it “correctly” or if you really can take this time just for you … saying to yourself: “Ah, this doubt has arisen in me” and then not dwelling on that feeling or continuing to worry, instead acknowledging -and connecting with your creative core.

So I encourage you to boldly go and channel your Inner Artist! Treating yourself to doing something joyful - anything that works for you, just for you, not pleasing anyone else. Letting all expectations of perfection and worthiness fall by the wayside and delighting in creatively expressing yourself.

Wishing you a season of gratitude, reflection, and the simple pleasures of life,

Summer

(Executive Director and Instructor)