Life – so imperfect, like art
Is life meant to be perfect?
Many experiences from the past, good and bad ones, make use grow. All experiences come together, and we become who we are. As I grow older I feel I need less "precision" or "control" in life.
Creating (art) has been helping me a lot as it removes layers of thinking. For me it is a practice of just letting go, just doing, just being, just following clues and instincts, no detailed plan. I absolutely know that painting has helped me with my life philosophy, with the aspect of being comfortable with life's "uncertainty".
Art helped me to
Feel less vulnerable, or better yet to be OK to be vulnerable (I know this sounds counter intuitive, but the more we let go of our ego, and share our vulnerability, the less our vulnerability bothers us - it sets us free from worry)
Feel more rooted in just being myself, whichever shape or form that may be, while I keep learning and growing.
Some days I feel very full of amazing thoughts and ideas of what I want to do. And I feel almost overwhelmed of the magnitude of things one can do, when there is love and belief. In these moments it feels as if I caught a wave of ultimate excitement. I get butterflies. I feel so inspired and on top of the world.
Positivity does not always last, feelings go up and down. Often, I also feel sad at as a result of various things, I hurt, or lose a sense of inspiration. But looking at these ups and downs I can absolutely say, it's ok to have all this!
Loving these “imperfectly” beautiful details in my painting “A Passionate Mindset”. Is life itself not also just like that?
I feel that as being an artist, varying emotions enhance my creations.
There is an amazing beauty I see in the emotional ups and downs, which I can merge into my work -- nothing I could see or feel when I was in my corporate career that I was in for over 20 years. The expectation there was generally straight, and common sense told that you need to be strong and good every day (or you better "pretend" like many do), so that you can do a "good job" or be "perceived to be doing a good job". Not that corporate life is anything suboptimal or wrong (and I am only generalizing a trend, as there were few fascinating experiences made with very emotionally and intellectually rich individuals as well). I am just sharing the difference "I" feel as a creative now…
I find the practice of art so different….so life changing
It is gentle, it's forgiving, it is open to sharing, it's enriching at a deep level, it is empowering like there is no limit! It can make you feel perfect with your flaws in your emotional states or flaws in your skills (I am using the word "flaws" on purpose here as mainstream society and mainstream corporate world would perceive it as such - or more typically it is referred to as "weakness" that must be strengthened).
By definition, art is not meant to be perfect (and this is my own synthesis and observation, I'm not an art critic nor an art academic - but I have a sense that so many would relate or agree)
There are these "imperfect" parts of the artwork that make it so intriguing and beautiful, and authentic.
Taking the above statement and expanding it to life, I believe life is art too. And it needs to be lived with the good and the bad. The important thing is that as you look at life as an "art" you continue to see it's overall beauty and depth coming together as a big and complete piece with a meaning. And we need to continue to embrace the good days and the hard days, knowing the difficulties in life, wrong decisions, losses, mistakes here and there will be those spontaneous and "imperfect" brush strokes and details that make life a well made and beautiful and original masterpiece as a whole!
Thanks to making art, all aspects of my life have seem to have converged in a harmonious way. Everything makes more sense to me now, along with the good and the bad -- as long as we follow our own truth. It’s all beautiful. And I am very thankful for this amazing journey of life.
A full view of “A passionate mindset” | 36” x 60”