The Art of Life – Cultivating Creativity

Does even this title alone scare you? To some, the title has two very scary words in it: art, and creativity. 

Often, we have “art scars,” instances from our past when another has remarked upon or rejected our creative endeavors in a way that made us think we were “not good enough.” The comparisons brought on by others AND ourselves can be enough to make us believe we are not creative. 

I believe that we are ALL incredibly creative. We often associate creativity with art, but creativity occurs in all domains of life. We come up with creative solutions every day – how to parent through Covid, how to design a financial plan, how to argue a law case, how to produce a film, how to budget for the month, how to craft a day in retirement, how to plan a vacation, how to construct a bridge, how to reach out and touch a friend who seems to be pulling away. So many moments of creativity go into our days. 

Recently as Roger and I were visiting with our friend, Dendrale, I noticed the tattoo on his left arm that said, “Art of Life.” Although we have been friends for a while, I hadn’t noticed his tattoo before as he normally has long sleeves on – however, long sleeves are not the attire for a summer day at the park in Dallas! I was grateful for his short sleeves because I got to see his tattoo. 

Photos taken in Dallas, Texas.

In our regular conversations we strive to be open and honest with one another, but to me a tattoo is a gentle invitation. I wanted to see more of his beautiful heart, so later I emailed Dendrale. “Can you tell me about your tattoo, Dendrale?” I wrote. “What do those words mean to you?”

“To me,” he responded, “the Art of Life means that essentially all experiences that make up life, from the most vile to the most beautiful, have an inherent intention and profound idea at the root of them. Such that could only be perceived and appreciated by humans when the ego is silenced and higher perception comes forward.”  

I’m so glad I said yes to the invitation to ask for more—and so grateful to Dendrale for sharing his profound reflections! 

Now, how about you? What meaning or energy do the words “Art of Life” hold for you? Do images like artists’ palettes, artists, drawing, painting, or color pop into your mind? Or, do more philosophical ideas like the meaning of life, our intentions, the design of life, or how we “color” our world by our choices come to mind?  

Or, is it how we love and live our life in a way that is art – full of grace, compassion, genuineness, hope, kindness and love – where we are the paintbrushes, a tool of the Art of Life? What if we are gifted with a life that gives us the opportunity to create something new every day? A way of living that says if we can be courageous and authentic enough, then we can make a unique offering to our friends, our family, our community. And just like an artist’s palette, it can be messy.

Photo taken in Dallas, Texas.

Creativity is such a gift…and one that remains unopened for many. Too often we might have labeled ourselves as “not creative” or “not artistic” due to stories in our heads that may not be true. How often do we let comparison steal our creativity confidence?  

Artwork by Dianne Morris Jones.

One way to remind ourselves of the inherent creativity within each of us is to watch children play or listen to them talk. Our granddaughters continually inspire us to think big in the creativity department. One day last spring as we were in the “peaceful garden” picking peaches, our then three-year-old granddaughter explained, “Lovey, all you have to do is push your imagination button” as she lifted her shirt and pushed her belly button, “and ‘Zing’ you have your imagination.” I asked her if creativity had anything to do with imagination, and she said, “Yes, it is when you just use your own imagination.”  

I LOVED her response! 

Photos taken in Dallas, Texas.

Cultivating creativity helps me feel most fully alive. Whether it is working in the flower garden, writing, playing with the grandkids, preparing a meal, decorating a table for a meal, playing with watercolor pencils, or writing this email/blog, creativity can be big or small moments. Creativity can come easily, or it can be a courageous and vulnerable endeavor.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, noted for his research on creativity and well known for his book, Flow, writes, “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives...most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity...when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”

Speaking of creativity, Roger has flourished upon retirement in studying and writing poetry. I have loved watching him bloom in his creative endeavor as he shares a peek into his loving and compassionate heart. 

The Art of Our Lives

by Roger C. Jones

Our art begins when we examine

our lives

The mastery of that art is the labor

of our lives

Our journey of the art endures

all our lives

The discipline of our art yields fruit

in our lives

The array of our art bears spice

to our lives

The delight of our art decorates

our lives

Destined we are to create and unleash

the art of our lives

What a treat we have for you this month in our daily Instagram and Facebook posts/reflections! We will be featuring the giftedness of multiple artists as they share their reflections on The Art of Life with us: their art, their hearts, and their creativity. Some of the artists are professional, some are very young, some are poets, some are potters, some are photographers – and some are trying out new forms of creativity for the first time. May you be inspired by their beauty. 

Thanks so much to those who contributed. I can’t wait to share with the world what you have so generously shared with me…your talents, your outlook, your hearts. 

If you are not on social media, please join us in this amazing feast of reflections – you can download the PDF below.

May you be encouraged to cultivate creativity in your everyday and extraordinary world. May our Art of Life imaginings and beauty blossom and bloom in our hearts and courageously through our hands as we embrace the concept of cultivating creativity.

Photo taken in Dallas, Texas.