We are all artists – every single one of us in our own unique way.
I have been busy putting things into my ETSY shop – which is very tedious and like weeding – it gives me time to think. I have been reflecting about my post – “Why do we blog”. While the main response from the majority of readers was about the joy of being part of a bigger community, learning about gardening and people, keeping a record and so forth.
It is my belief that this is only part of the reason – the other part is that we are all artists.
It is believed that creativity is a cornerstone of human development, when you watch children play their imagination is magnificent. It is through creative play that children develop the skills needed for later life. We are all creative beings in our own unique way. Playful Creativeness is part of the human condition, and should be cherished.
There is evidence that primitive culture did not “have” artists. Art was a verb, a “doing” word. Everyone did art or mark-making. What are our gardens if not mark making? However transient.
Before you throw up your hands and exclaim “I don’t have a creative bone in my body, I am not an artist” Think about it – you are.
If you have a blog. You are an artist – you take photographs, you write. What are these if not creative processes? Many blogs I read express their creativity through a variety of way – Joey cooks, her blog is full of mouth-watering recipes. Sandy writes Haiku, Mrs B has 5 children, VP raised money for Water Aid, Arabella Sock makes us laugh – and so the list goes on.
Sue left a comment on my textile blog saying
“My gardening may be my way of expressing art, but it tends to be hodge podge, and may not seem artistic to others”
I say to everyone who claims they are not “arty”. Each time you plant a plant or tend your garden, allotment, or window box, you are engaging in a creative process, your garden is your playground, plant it for yourself and your family. It is your space, your creation and a reflection of you, it is your art – cherish it.
I couldn’t agree with you more! Beautifully said.
Yes, yes, yes Karen! I so agree with everything you’ve said here. I think everybody has some type of “artist” within them that is expressed in different ways. I’ve spent too much of my life feeling insecure and unsure of myself because I’m not a “real artist”…public school teachers who only recognised the art style they preferred as being “the best” did not help
What a lovely post. I agree wholeheartedly with you that blogging is a creative process as is gardening. The simple thought proces involved in deciding what to put where is the garden is art.
That’ the thing isnt it though? Having the self belief …..
One day.
xx
Don’t forget the art in making your home. How you decorate, place the furniture and even live in it. Ok, your home may not feel that it has a lot of art in it at the moment, but just wait until the roof is finished and the walls have dried out! I know that your art will come through in the way that you finally manage to pull it all together to make it the warm and inviting “home stead” it is meant to be.
Beautifully said and so true! gail
I do cherish it. Each and every day. Warm or cold. Winter or summer. It is my canvas, and the plants my medium. It makes me happy and I feel fulfilled when creating my artful garden.
Brenda
Hi Karen, this should be the mantra of every parent and teacher to every child that enters this world. You are an artist, as are we all. The teacher told The Financier when he was a child that he had no artistic talent, he believed it all his life. Until he started helping me in the garden buidling steps and step stones with concrete. All he needed was some encouragement to find his inner artist. May everyone get that encouragement and your post is a great testament to that.
Frances
I remember having a similar discussion regarding creativity. Everyone is creative, it just manifests itself in different ways.
Well said Karen, I cherish both my creativity and my artistic hand. But what I am really glad over is that I every single day yearn to make something new and that I have my head full of ideas. I wish you a lovely Sunday. / Tyra
I agree with you.It’s the word Art that’s the problem. It puts some people off for a number of reasons. I think we are all creative in our own way and Creative is a kinder, more general word. A lot of people might admit to being creative while they would never admit to artistic.
I got so into the “art” bit of your post, that I forgot to say well done on the Etsy shop. Good luck with it. I look forward to seeing more of your work there.
Karen, I’m stunned to be included in this lovely post. Indeed, not knowing me personally, we have connected. Often tempted, even today, to halt blogging weighing in with overpowering life issues saying, “Today is the day!”, blessed to hear comforting words from friends like you, I will forge on. Indeed we are all ‘children of the earth’, proud products shining though unique eyes in this beautiful community of artful hearts and souls who create, demonstrate, and share. Thank you, dear friend.
Hi Karen,
I love your blog for many reasons. I love that you are an artist.
I love that you share things.
You ask questions:
I have this urge to share what I love, I require excellence of myself…but, honestly, it is the dialog, the friendship with other gardeners/creators/artists/friends that inspire me and push me…
to think, to explore and to have a lot of fun!
How about that for getting the creative juices flowing!
Best regards,
Philip
Well put Karen, well put
I agree completely with everything you have said. There is ‘art’ in so much around us and in our every day lives but generally we don’t see it. I really do believe we all have deep routed artistic souls.
I personally so love the creative outlet that is blogging! I had no concept whatsoever that this would be the case when I first started two years ago.
I agree completely that writing is also art and I am loving that aspect too. I am also very much aware that since blogging I am being drawn to pick up a pencil or pen and start drawing again. It has been some time – I dearly wish I had never put them down
Hope you don’t have snow on your roof – melting especially!
How true! Too bad many of us think “Picasso” or “Monet” or when hearing the word “artist”. It tends to stop us from appreciating and placing proper value our own creative endeavours.
/krys
I have been thinking and thinking about your earlier post and arrived here today with the intention of seeking it out and adding a comment . . . how convenient you have gone back to the question . . . the trouble is, my comment is rather prosaic.
I decided one of the things I like best about blogging is that blogs don’t get dusty. Everything stays in place. No-one comes along and moves things or loses them.
And there is always a bright light behind everything to make it seem fresh and new.
I am not a homemaker. I hate dusting. I don’t hoover. I forget to cook.
I’m knee deep in bits of paper that may come in useful one day and my face is generally smudged with pastel or mud.
With a blog, I can turn my back on the chaos and be as creative as I like and forget the mess behind me; pretend it isn’t there. Not that I mind it; it’s just that visitors sometimes like to be provided with somewhere to stand, or to sit; and they feel more comfortable if they know I’ve done the washing up within three days of their arrival.
Yet anyone can visit my blog as often as they like, safely knowing there will be nothing to trip over – and I don’t have to do the dusting first!
Esther
I love this karen and think you are right. I always felt far from arty at school but I garden and write and take photos, let alone bake and cook so perhaps there are more ways than through pencil!
Hi, Karen.
Amen to all the above! Carry on!
Kathryn xox
Karen,
First lovely photo,
I couldn’t agree with you more, we are all artists. I always regarded myself as a photographer rather than an artist until I met a New York painter called Meg she turned around how I see my work, not only that but also how I view the things around me. As a thank you I am doing her wedding photo’s next year.
Gary
Karen, you made my day! I’m one of those that doesn’t think I’m an artist. No creativity. But you got me thinking this morning… Maybe it’s like when I used to sew clothes for our girls – by the time I got done with them, I didn’t even like the dresses anymore. I was sick of looking at them from every possible angle! LOL. Maybe with our homes and our gardens, we’re so immersed in “creating” them and we look at them every day that they just seem ordinary to us. And anything ordinary couldn’t possibly be art, could it?
I’ll rethink this. You’re right. We are ALL artists with our own style. Thank you for this!
Kylee from Our Little Acre
Very interesting comments from all, and the knee-deep-in-paper one particularly resonated. I used to believe that Important Art was in museums. I love museums, may they live forever, but I’ve come to think that how we arrange our homes and gardens may be even More Important Art: our mood is affected by it, and we go out and spread that feeling around. Or people come to visit us, and their mood is affected, and they go out and spread it around. Seems as if the cumulative effect might be huge.