Artistic Endeavors

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.  
~Stella Adler

The Girl with a Pearl Earring Jan Vermeer

A few days ago I had my to-do list posted.  I won't tell how few of those things I have actually accomplished, but "get my office and my merchandise in order" is just about completed.  What a mess!  It has taken me several days, working at it a few hours at a time, to finally 'tame the beast'.  It feels so good to see things nicely displayed on my shelves and tucked into orderly boxes.  I don't know how long it will last but for now, it feels good.

While I was wading through all the 'stuff', I got my work desk cleared off and realized how much I miss creating.  Now, this blog has definitely sparked the creative juices and I love hitting the "Publish Post" button every day, knowing that at least one thing is completed in my day.  The creative outlet that I miss is making jewelry, transforming something out of bits of nothing and holding it in my hands.  I wouldn't call myself an artist, but it is my artistic expression.  I have been so overwhelmed with life, my shop, writing and more life that I haven't taken the time to be creative.

For years, I discounted the value of my artistic endeavors, thinking it was something to fit in after everything else was done.  I undervalued it's importance, placing more worth on checking items off my list.  What I have discovered is, allowing time for the creative process is not only highly therapeutic, but allows me to connect with the ultimate artist, my Creator.

When I take the time to appreciate art, visit a gallery or work on my own creative outlets, I have to slow down and block out the noise of everyday life.  When I enjoy a colorful sunset, a beautiful painting, uplifting music, or my own original expressions, I believe I tap into the very heartbeat of God.

God's first acts recorded were those of creation.  And what a creation - filled with color, humor and beauty!

Art is man's nature.  Nature is God's art.

~James Bailey

God is really only another artist.  He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat.  He has no real style.  He just goes on trying other things.  
 ~Pablo Picasso

For all of man's exploring and discovering we have still barely scratched the surface of the incredible world in which we live.  I need to connect with the creative heart of God.  So tonight I'm going for a walk, communing with my Father and making something, just because...

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.   
^{~Genesis 1:31}