Everyone is an Artist.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, via a quick google search, Art is defined as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination." That sounds pretty inclusive to me, until you continue reading the definition, "typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."
That last part had me hung up and feeling creatively dry for an unaccountable amount of years. I long held onto the idea that an "artist" had to skilled in painting, sculpting or drawing and that their work had to important and meaningful. Artist was a term reserved for the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Definitely not me. I cannot draw, or paint, or sculpt and I'd hardly call my margin doodles meaningful.
Still, over the years I have found myself consistently trying to create something. Not because I wanted to be an artist, but because having a creative outlet was a necessity to my mental health and overall well-being.
I have spent a lot of time stuck in an uncreative loop, bound by the idea that creativity is reserved for people with natural artistic instincts. Thankfully, I have learned much along the way and I have a few tips that help pull me out of my funk when I'm stuck. So, here are three things you can do when you're trying to unleash your inner artist.
1. Let Your Inner Child be Free.
I have this vivid memory of my sister making fun of me when I was around 5 or 6. I had been playing in my room with pennies from the change jar and a book. I laid the book down on the carpet and pushed it around like it was a bus. The pennies, all of which I had given names, were spread about at their random stops and took turns getting on the bus. I was verbally acting out an animated scene as they lived their best little penny lives. Maybe I was weird, but that's the kind of imagination and uninhibited creativity I try to channel when I am in a funk. We have all these rules that say dolls are better than penny friends and ideas that don't follow the rules are weird... but I think the best ideas come from breaking norms. It's cliche to say, "think outside the box," but do it. Channel your inner child and let your imagination run wild. Get weird, my friends.
2. Get outside and EXPLORE.
Life can get pretty routine, mundane and downright boring. It's easy to get in a rut, and sometimes hard to get out of. You don't have to go far, I love exploring in my own city. Talk a walk and pay attention to everything, all of the little details and be inspired. I try to talk a walk everyday and I usually have my phone handy to snap a photo of the things that inspire me. A pop of color in a flower garden, fog rolling in, an insect along the fence line... One of the most inspiring and intriguing forms of exploring for me is people watching. I love watching trains go by or cars hustling past each other on a busy road, imagining where all of those people are going and what their lives are like. This reminds me that art is in the details of our lives, our work, and all the boring things of the day.
3. Let go of the idea that all Art is physical.
You know, I never did quite understand art museum connoisseurs who stared at a work of art "feeling" its emotion... but I've cried while packing an ornament for a woman I barely knew. So, sometimes the art and beauty isn't in the item itself. It belongs to the people who hold it, the connections and friendships we make & the stories we share. That's beautiful, that's powerful, and we create that. We are all artists.
