Is
it Art?
“Creativity
is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to
keep.” Scott Adams
I
was at a gallery show last night—a fundraiser for the Wounded
Warrior Project. I'm always inspired by other people's work and
curious about what is considered art and what is not. I bought a
small quilted pillow for my great niece who will soon be one year
old. I know she's not allowed to have pillows in her crib, but
presumably one day, she will be. This one has a funny little girl
with green hair and a flouncy skirt on it. How could I pass that up?
There were several new artists in the gallery—one who sculpts
incredibly intricate things, like Cahaba lilies, from solid
alabaster, and one who staples sticks and wire and wads of fabric on
a board with some scary looking faces. Two extremes of what is called “art.” Odd to see them side by side. I love that about
artists—that some like their work to get an “oh!” rather than
an “ah!” out of you.
I
was talking with a friend of mine there, who said she is working too
hard at the non-profit that employs her to have energy left over for
creativity. I know that feeling. It's hard to be creative when you're
tired, or when the space you have to work in is cramped. But
creativity comes in all forms. A simple piece of paper and some
colored pencils will sometimes suffice. We just need to scribble and
color, and make shapes and put dots inside to exercise our inner need
to be creative. It doesn't have to be something you hang on the wall,
or a lily sculpted from alabaster.
I
finally stopped at the house down the way and picked up two of those
wooden crates that they put out every week. They're made from thin slats of
wood wired together, and not very sturdy. They're lying here in a
heap on my porch table. I'm pretty sure that if I take them apart
and remove all the wires, I can make something neat from them.
Perhaps not “art” but, at least, “fun.”
It's
the weekend. I hope you are exercising your creativity today.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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