Creating the Canvas of Your Life
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up”– Pablo Picasso
I have started painting again. Nothing grand, but I am having fun and that’s the point. Honestly, the impetus to pick up my brush came about because I’m basically cheap. I try to regularly mail cards to my grandchildren and friends, but as the price of a card soared to over $6.00 each, I decided, “I can do that!” And the secret is – so can you! I’m a firm believer in the idea that we are all artists, and that making art is relaxing, releases anxiety, and brings immense joy into our lives. There’s freedom in creating just for you.
Art has always been a part of my life, whether I was painting canvases as a child or coffee house walls in college. I was quite proficient at reproducing Alice in Wonderland’s hookah smoking caterpillar on an 8 X 10-foot wall. I graduated with a BFA in weaving and ceramics - not a particularly useful degree in the “real world” - but I enjoyed my years of creating large scale tapestries on a sixty-inch loom in my living room and throwing pots on a wheel in the garage while firing up my kiln.
As my children came into the picture, ceramics was the first thing to go. Clay, fire, and chemicals for glazing were not compatible with three kids under four. Then one day, as I was working on a rather complicated weaving, my four-year-old took a pair of scissors and cut all the strings along the back of my loom. He really wanted my undivided attention. Tempted to wring his neck, I showed a mother’s restraint and let that art form go as well. He now lives with two children (and artist!) of his own.
In subsequent years, as my children grew, the artist inside me found new outlets for creativity. My art emerged in the form of a ten-foot-tall Betty Boop, constructed from foam core board for a 50’s-themed gala, face-painting at the school fair, kid’s school projects – including a fairly amazing dragon made out of a wine bottle and papier Mache, posters for school and church events, and decorations for an assortment of fundraisers.
An artist is given many canvases in their life. Whether you express your creativity in painting, cooking, writing, teaching, designing jewelry or designing a company – there is no limit on a person’s ability to grow, create, and expand their minds or the minds of others.
The risk as we move into adulthood is that we forget the artist within. We start taking ourselves too seriously, and we may even give up a little on our creative impulses. We flip on the TV or scroll through our phones looking for validation and entertainment rather than going within and exploring the depths of our imagination and creativity. We willingly hand our paintbrush over to people we don’t even know and allow them to add their own colors, shades, and tones to the canvas of our lives, often hijacking our time, vision, and dreams.
When was the last time you thought about your favorite color? Mine varies. Am I wearing it, eating it, or looking at it? And in my world, you can’t have too many sequins or jewels added to the mix. How do you like to adorn your walls, your body, or your mind? The greatest adventure of our lives is discovering who we are and then building on that canvas, re-discovering ourselves again and again. With each new person we meet, book we read, adventure we take, and questions we ask – the artist within us evolves.
I just came home from Thanksgiving in Denver with my son (the one who cut the strings on my loom) and grandchildren. Turns out my granddaughter has moved on from playing Barbies to playing Nintendo Mario Kart. It took a day for me to get the hang of it, and I was a bit hampered by my aging hands, but I learned the game. And when I almost beat her, I sorta loved it! Is it wrong that I now want my own Nintendo? Maybe I will become the “grandma gamer”. You never know what your next canvas will be.
The mind, like any other muscle in the body, will naturally tighten up if we don’t keep it moving and expanding. Each time we open ourselves up to a new experience or idea, we expand the neuron paths in our brain and develop new views and possibilities for our lives.
What is stopping you from tackling the next opportunity in your life? Do you believe you’ve painted your last canvas? Are you feeling stuck? Continued growth depends on embracing new ideas and activities while expanding our minds and pushing past our comfort zones.
You can paint the picture of who you want to be.
What is Life Coaching?
Coaching is a forward-looking approach to healing and growth. I create a non-judgement space for you to gain confidence, shatter your negative limiting beliefs, implement goals, and start living in a place of peace and abundance. Are you willing to get uncomfortable, challenge your comfort zone, and take steps to reclaim control of your life?
How to work with me:
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