My Artful Journey

The word art is so small yet packed with so many possibilities. And art means so many things to so many different people. For me, art is drawing, painting, collaging, sculpting, and building things. It’s creating things that weren’t there before and splashing them with a little creative magic. I bet as I explore more, I’ll find more things to expand the meaning of art and how it impacts my life.

 

For me, art used to be reserved for “real” artists—those who had “real” talent. Since I started playing around with artsy things recently, I’ve scrapped that categorization. Except for two City of Newark drawing classes and one watercolor course, I don’t really know what I’m doing. And I’m fine with it.

 

Because I consider myself a creative explorer, I don’t need permission to create art. I just have to sit down and do it. If the outcome pleases me, I can display it with a smile. If I don’t, it can go in a closet or drawer or in the trash.

 

Most times, I simply want the process to be enjoyable. An hour spent outside focusing on the contours of a branch in order to capture its essence on paper staves off anxious thoughts and long to-dos. The fact that it doesn’t always look how I intended matters less than showing up to try.

 

At times, I’ve felt like creating art is a selfish act. I sit alone and amuse myself with whatever I’m creating. I’m not serving the poor or protecting the environment or washing the dishes or doing any number of things to better the world around me. However, it occurred to me that one way to make creating feel less selfish is to share it.

 

Because I’m not trained, and especially because I’m at the beginning of the learning curve, sharing feels hard. I’m not yet creating notable works of anything. Some of it is downright bad.

 

So my choice is selfish or foolish? No. I’ll choose to think of sharing my creative journey another way.

 

Maybe you (or someone) will be inspired to try something creative. Maybe something I do will speak to you in some way that makes you happy or sad, or see the world through a different lens. Maybe it will just make you feel better about your own work. I’m good with that, too.

 

I’m really ok that my second wood carving looks more like a wine stopper than an ice cream cone. I carved it! And, I’m ok that my drawing of a hilly landscape lacks proper perspective. Someday, maybe it won’t. But I always want to remember the expansive feeling of being a beginner and to maintain the mindset of an active learner. My art, at whatever stage, will be better for it.

 

Ultimately, I hope that I’ll find community around this art-creation thing. Whether that’s of my own making or by connecting with an existing group, I hope that by sharing my journey and archiving my attempts, we’ll enjoy our creative connection together.