The Art Of Mind’s Blog

by Lisa A. Riley

At the beginning of a day or week, when one sits down to practice the common ritual of creating a “To Do” list, are there items that can be categorized as “Have-Tos” and “Want-Tos?” Or does the list only include the “Have-Tos?” The items that we aspire to do usually contain the very things in which we express our creative selves, such as painting a sunset, writing a poem, journaling, arranging flowers picked from the garden, trying a new recipe, daydreaming. These morsels of creative nourishment often take a back seat in our lives as we regularly place them at the bottom of the list or leave them for those extra free hours we hope to have at the end of the day.

The other night I watched a movie titled, “Pollock” which showed the turmoil and successful life of artist Jackson Pollock. In one scene they depicted a day in his life. Every morning he would roll out of bed, grab a cigarette, a cup of coffee and first thing, head out to the studio to paint. Doing his art was as essential as having breakfast in the morning. Although he struggled with Bipolar Disorder and alcohol abuse, he appeared most at peace when he spent his time painting or laying in the grass on his 1.5 acre property, watching the clouds drift over head.

Our lives may not always accommodate the same luxury, but perhaps adopting some of those similar practices on a daily bases might enrich our lives with deeper meaning. It isn’t always necessary to dedicate an entire day to doing art or quit our day job and become a starving artist. Even an hour or two a day can be enough to keep the creativity alive and well while still attending to the “Have-Tos” list.

Making time to nourish the creative aspects of ourselves should become as equally important as
the time we take to eat, take our supplements, go to doctor appointments, exercise. Yet we often leave our time for art on the back burner. Creativity is not only an essential part of being human, but can also sustain our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Honoring pockets of our creative expression can prevent irritability, bouts of discontent, apathy and boredom. If we starve our soul, does our soul begin to scream out in the form of neurosis? Whether it be over eating, drinking, spacing out in front of the TV or depression.

A life supplied with regular doses of imagination, inspiration and even good common daydreaming is an essential part of being a whole person. Not only do we honor our gifts and aspirations, we also validate the authentic part of us; the part of us that calls us to “come out and play,” to draw doodles in the sand or mold clay with our hands.

Next time you sit down to draw up your “To-Do” list consider placing the act of doing your art and expressing yourself creatively near the top, Therefore, making these nurturing morsels a priority and a required supplement to living a balance artful life.

Content © 2008/2009 by Lisa A. Riley, The Art of Mind’s Blog. All Rights Reserved.