what if your life is an expression of art?

I believe every one of us is an artist, even if we’re not a professional painter or creating every day (or week).

india ink and brush + bamboo pen, 2008; part of an assignment to obtain my degree in Commercial Art (which is irrelevant)

Art and creativity is critical to our humanity, yet it’s something stifled early and thoroughly in childhood:

Draw a flower this way, not like that.

Color inside the lines.

Don’t waste paper/glue/markers.

Quit making so much noise.

Those clothes don’t match.

Why can’t you sit still?

“art” my then-toddler christened the couch with. he told us it was henna!

So many of us have been conditioned to repress and ignore our creativity to the point that we think we’re NOT creative at all—

—which is a real shame, I think.

sketch I did on an airplane, to pass the time in flight

Maybe your art is expressed in the way you move - or your eye for detail - or your knack for thinking up sharp comments and creative puns.

…but the laundry just keeps coming, the kids need another snack.

You can’t sit down to create when the dishes aren’t done, can you? (personally i think you should - because they’re endless)

… and really, there’s no place to set up a proper workstation anyway.

The cats might unravel your yarn, or knock over your beads.

birth beads necklace created for a dear friend as part of her Mother Blessing

Maybe you love decorating your home, but can’t justify the cost or trouble of changing the art on your walls … even tho what’s hanging there currently doesn’t really spark joy.

sketch i did for Inktober 2021, probably while dinner was burning - more art on my IG story highlight

Maybe you feel like it’s too much effort to do something artistic or creative, amidst the time-confetti that’s so often what we get, as women, as mothers.

Maybe your art is in your fashion sense - but it’s really more practical to live the leggings lifestyle.

when my kids were little, I learned to sew by hand because I wanted them to have natural Waldorf dolls - and Harry Potter cloaks!

Maybe your art is found in your makeup, the mug you choose for your morning beverage, the way you arrange the meal on your plate, the way you notice butterflies, or take iPhone pictures of the morning dew—

All of that counts as art. LIFE is art - it’s creative expression and connection.

Henna body art is temporary, with an ancient history behind it. See more of my henna art here.

I recommend that you start looking at your entire life as an expression of your creative impulse - and watch how your world awakens.

I’m telling you it’s worth it.

henna on canvas, c. 2008

It Doesn’t Matter if nobody gets your art, or if nobody BUYS your art - because you don’t have to make a profit to make meaning.

In fact, one of the worst lies we’ve collectively swallowed is that our creativity must be monetized in order to be valuable.

art with charcoal from the firepit, on the driveway. yes, it washes away with the next rain. still valuable to make.

Monetizing every aspect of your creative life makes it shrivel and contort under the weight of soul-draining expectations—

As if money is the only real value—

—not persistence
—not honing our craft
—not dedication and grit
—not incremental upgrade of our skillset
—not the pure bliss of creative expression?

…and this is how they convince us that we’re “not really artists”. (it’s a lie)

handmade jewelry I was selling for WAY too little money, c. 2010

I’ve turned cheesecake into an art form

So, keep creating - even in small ways.

Even in ways that are ephemeral and temporary, and maybe just in ways that nobody gets the honor of seeing - but you.

i will never sell my Kandinsky mimic painting - i love it!

Art is how we mend our broken parts, and reconnect with the sacred fire of our intuition.

Go do something creative today - and embrace your inner artist.

Posted for Lisa, who writes Popcorn and Patchouli - and definitely gets that life = art.

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more at KrystalTrammell.com