When I was still in university, we were required to take subjects in the humanities. One was about art. God forbid (sorry to my professors) I hated that class because I didn’t have any creative juice in me.
I didn’t know what to write when were asked to submit a critique about an art installation. I dozed off in most of the stage plays that we were required to watch. I didn’t get it.
For me art was drawing and creating masterpieces, and as long as I can remember, my best art work was the vase that I drew in kindergarten. Art was my Achilles heel. Others find drawing cathartic but as for me, I found it excruciating.
But as I grew up and learned, art was not what I thought it was. Art is not just about drawing stuff. Art was about creating ‘anything.’ You don’t have to be a Michelangelo to call yourself an artist. Any form of expression is art. Music, dance, poetry, writing, they are all art. Teaching is an art. Loving is an art. Everything around us speaks art.
I had an epiphany. I was shocked to learn that I was an artist all along. I kept on doing all these things that I thought were expressions of my pragmatic self. Or that because I was a driven person. I kept on looking back, to the poems and songs I wrote, the way I did things, they were all art.
Art is lovely. Art makes you escape the realities of the world.
Isn’t it just fascinating how we can make things that are therapeutic for us and surprisingly for others too? Some people paint, others speak or write. Some make music or dance. Even the most mundane activities is art.
Now more than ever, we need to allow our most creative self to play on the surface. Many people are too caught up with the demands of living that they forget how to breathe and play with their creative side. When you create something out of love, it will circumvent the world. Creations are treasures, so please keep on creating.
Instead of staying inside your head with your thoughts (which isn’t good) grab a pen, or a pencil. Art is your best friend. It will keep you from lying on the couch. It will make you live.
No matter how nonsense your art might be for other people, please do create. Keep at it. Just do it. The world needs your sparkle. Stop hesitating, just freaking make something.
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