Art in the broadest sense is at the very essence of my life- as an appreciator, creator, experiencer of … This is a huge question. Not much else to say for now.
Art is an antidote to hopelessness and despair.
Bent
My fingers
at the joints
swell with memories of hard work.
They curve
like a rake
of time
like a scythe of possibility.
What I collect and shred
and return
to a place made over and over with the intention to beautify
to preserve
to rend into nothingness.
The way this life
collects me, sharpens the hard places,
shines the lovely in me
and quietly breaks me down.
Art is definitely my rescuer from bad times and something to celebrate in good times. I love most kinds of art like nature, poetry, good books, paintings, and other art too. I love to create it but don’t take time very often and when I do I am pretty particular so I am a very slow creator. I have also done several art quilts, mostly wall hangings. My husband was a fine art minor in college so he is much better than me at drawing. He doesn’t have much interest these days but he will sometimes help me. I love that this community shares art in the gratitude lounge. Thank you all who post there. May you be blessed with beauty this day and every day.
Barb, Thank you for this. Wow! What an exceptional poet and inspiration. I have signed up for her daily poem. Her tributes to Vincent – oh my … Have not even made it to the creative collaboration yet. I so appreciate your sharing this! … KC
Barb, Wow. What a beautiful practice – sharing poems with your daughters. I am fairly new to exploring, embracing and appreciating the immense gift of poets and poetry in our lives and words. Such a gift you give to your daughters. Thank you for sharing the inspiration of Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer with us here. Warmly, KC
Well, I studied fine arts and I like to make music since my childhood. Since 20 years I sit with my tanpura singing what I learned from my Dhrupad teachers or play my lute . I still need to do that. it is like some kind of therapy for me after coming home from work in the hospital. I am happy to have this outlet
As an appreciator, I am in awe of folks who paint. I’ve never had a lot of money to buy paintings but have been gifted with some pieces that bring me joy and, believe it or not, have found some affordable treasures at both second hand and consignment stores. As a creator, I started singing before I started going to school. The Hit Parade was my favorite radio program and I would listen intently and memorize the words and the melodies to all the big hits of the 1940’s and 50’s. I used to sit on the front porch in my little rocking chair and sing my heart out. In college, I majored in drama and minored in voice. I spent over 30 years acting in community theatre productions playing everyone from Maria in “The Sound of Music to Mrs. Kendall in “Elephant Man.” I also like to write poetry and have shared some of my poems on this website. It always brings me joy when I get a response from someone who found the poetry helpful. Until recently, I wrote biblical monologues and performed them at various civic and church related events. I also became a sponsor for my college Alma Mater’s Creative Arts Department. I love live theatre and music recitals. It’s a joy to see young students following their dreams of a career in the arts. Health issues my participation. I no longer mount the stage but sharing my journey with you this morning has me smiling. I give thanks for the memories!
I appreciate the art in my garden; all the different forms of flowers, some flat and wide open, some like trumpets, big blousy ones, masses of tiny ones and, oh my, all the colours!! I also enjoy creating the spring and summer displays in the pots on the patios. I can’t do the actual planting but I design and then direct my gardener. I used to create greetings cards but illness has stopped being able to do this which has saddened me but I can still do small amounts of sewing. And cooking! I love making up recipes, usually something that I’ve found online or on TV that I adapt to my taste vegan lifestyle. These are then cooked up by my lovely carers while I supervise 😂
I live with art and usually make it part of vacations in some way. Our house has several original paintings. I brought some of these home from trips so they represent my interaction with the artist. I’ve been to New Orleans twice on business trips and both times got paintings I love. Our art expresses some themes for us: our love of corvids and birds in general, bicycles, and music. When I travel I try to find an art museum or local gallery to visit.
In a very small-scale way, I create art by painting “kindness rocks” and leaving them for people to find at bus stops and in nearby parks. They may have simple designs, flowers, or a short saying. Looking at each rock’s shape and color and thinking about how I will work with that and respect it even as I transform it puts me in a state of flow that I appreciate.
Taking this as “the arts” as others have done, I love live theater and one daughter majored in musical theater so I’ve been to many a performance. I played piano and flute as a young woman and have the piano I learned on; I occasionally sit and play and enjoy knowing this other language even if I’m not as fluent as I once was.
I sometimes think about those who didn’t have my opportunities to learn both to create and to appreciate and it saddens me. Everyone deserves to have art in their lives, to be taken beyond and outside of the everyday.
Barb, What a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing. I especially liked hearing about your trips to New Orleans. I lived there for 5 years in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I did a stint as a blues singer at the Court of the Two Sisters, Bourbon street side which was a bar at that time. I think it serves as a sandwich shop these days. I agree that everyone deserves to have art in their lives and am sadden that many of our public schools have cut them out of the curriculum.
I do enjoy art in many forms and I like going to museums and listening to music. I also experience art in the natural world and in the daily observing of the world around me.
As for making art, I enjoy taking photos and my job as a videographer and editor, while I wouldn’t call what I do Art, it does let me play with aesthetic and form, but it’s mostly problem solving. Occasionally, I can get lost in the process, and that feels good to me. And of course getting paid is very rewarding. 😁
Art gladdens my heart. When I paint I get lost in my creation. When I hear music my feelings deepen. When I see ballet I get drawn into the story, the movement and the scenery. Art helps me to be free of my worries, my hard feelings, all my stresses, at least in that moment. Art is my liberator. Art is creation. Art can show me the essence of who I am.
Music has always been my way of art. I played the keyboards and sax for many years when younger but they Went on the sideline. When I retired I got back to recording keyboards again and 2 years ago I started to learn guitar. Music brings joy to me either by playing or listening
Today is the filth day of migraine attacks, so the quote of the days is about waiting and the art of waiting.
Stuffing and the art of suffering- I didn’t want to give in and get help to stop the pain of the migraine. I thought it would go away . It’s getting better when I wait for the iv to work . I’m sorry to complain. I’m trying to see that life is not always the way we want it to be . I’m fighting back the tears of feeling lonely.
Oh my goodness, Antoinnette, you are dealing with so, so very much here. No wonder you are feeling sadness and of course you are close to tears as well. I have a few friends who also struggle with intense, prolonged migraines and even from my angle of view it seems like a horrendous condition to live and cope with. So don’t think for a moment that anyone here thinks that you are complaining. Instead, you are giving us a chance to hold you in thought, prayer, and love and also in conversation when and however it is a source of comfort for you.
Antoinette, so sorry to hear how you are struggling right now. I too get migraines that go on for 5 days or more. Like Barb I take sumatriptan and also find that taking 3 x 100grams of Vitamin B2 every day helps to ease the severity. It has been found to be as effective as any of the drug preventatives in research by the Migraine Society in UK. I do think you are right in seeing waiting and suffering as an art form. When we can become spacious the pain and suffering has room to be as it needs to be and isn’t so intense.
Sending you love and healing ❤️🙏
I’m so sorry to hear this! That you can still pivot the question into “the art of waiting” is a real accomplishment under such painful circumstances.
I too get migraines that can wipe me out, although I’m generally able to treat them with sumatriptan succinate (my BFF!). It is terrible. Offering my experience in case it provides a bit of hope or optimism–I had many as a younger woman, then they were rare for a number of years, then they reared up again, and now the frequency appears to be subsiding. I hope that trend continues.
Antoinette, I am so sorry you are suffering with migraines. Throughout my life, I have also suffered from headaches and the occasional migraine. Some meds gave me relief, but they had to be taken at the slightest hint of a migraine. The upside, is that they tend get less severe or to go away completely as we get older. Sending cool relieving thoughts your way.
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Art in the broadest sense is at the very essence of my life- as an appreciator, creator, experiencer of … This is a huge question. Not much else to say for now.
Art is an antidote to hopelessness and despair.
Bent
My fingers
at the joints
swell with memories of hard work.
They curve
like a rake
of time
like a scythe of possibility.
What I collect and shred
and return
to a place made over and over with the intention to beautify
to preserve
to rend into nothingness.
The way this life
collects me, sharpens the hard places,
shines the lovely in me
and quietly breaks me down.
Beautiful Lisa. Thank you!
Beautiful–thank you for sharing.
When I am in the workshop, it is 70’s rock music as the background to working with my hands. I have an air-guitar collection you know – 10 of them.
Art is definitely my rescuer from bad times and something to celebrate in good times. I love most kinds of art like nature, poetry, good books, paintings, and other art too. I love to create it but don’t take time very often and when I do I am pretty particular so I am a very slow creator. I have also done several art quilts, mostly wall hangings. My husband was a fine art minor in college so he is much better than me at drawing. He doesn’t have much interest these days but he will sometimes help me. I love that this community shares art in the gratitude lounge. Thank you all who post there. May you be blessed with beauty this day and every day.
Yes and yes!
Barb, Thank you for this. Wow! What an exceptional poet and inspiration. I have signed up for her daily poem. Her tributes to Vincent – oh my … Have not even made it to the creative collaboration yet. I so appreciate your sharing this! … KC
Oh good! I love her work. I frequently record poems as messages to my two daughters who live far away and they’re often hers.
Barb, Wow. What a beautiful practice – sharing poems with your daughters. I am fairly new to exploring, embracing and appreciating the immense gift of poets and poetry in our lives and words. Such a gift you give to your daughters. Thank you for sharing the inspiration of Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer with us here. Warmly, KC
Well, I studied fine arts and I like to make music since my childhood. Since 20 years I sit with my tanpura singing what I learned from my Dhrupad teachers or play my lute . I still need to do that. it is like some kind of therapy for me after coming home from work in the hospital. I am happy to have this outlet
As an appreciator, I am in awe of folks who paint. I’ve never had a lot of money to buy paintings but have been gifted with some pieces that bring me joy and, believe it or not, have found some affordable treasures at both second hand and consignment stores. As a creator, I started singing before I started going to school. The Hit Parade was my favorite radio program and I would listen intently and memorize the words and the melodies to all the big hits of the 1940’s and 50’s. I used to sit on the front porch in my little rocking chair and sing my heart out. In college, I majored in drama and minored in voice. I spent over 30 years acting in community theatre productions playing everyone from Maria in “The Sound of Music to Mrs. Kendall in “Elephant Man.” I also like to write poetry and have shared some of my poems on this website. It always brings me joy when I get a response from someone who found the poetry helpful. Until recently, I wrote biblical monologues and performed them at various civic and church related events. I also became a sponsor for my college Alma Mater’s Creative Arts Department. I love live theatre and music recitals. It’s a joy to see young students following their dreams of a career in the arts. Health issues my participation. I no longer mount the stage but sharing my journey with you this morning has me smiling. I give thanks for the memories!
I appreciate the art in my garden; all the different forms of flowers, some flat and wide open, some like trumpets, big blousy ones, masses of tiny ones and, oh my, all the colours!! I also enjoy creating the spring and summer displays in the pots on the patios. I can’t do the actual planting but I design and then direct my gardener. I used to create greetings cards but illness has stopped being able to do this which has saddened me but I can still do small amounts of sewing. And cooking! I love making up recipes, usually something that I’ve found online or on TV that I adapt to my taste vegan lifestyle. These are then cooked up by my lovely carers while I supervise 😂
Thank you, Butterfly! Aren’t plants wonderful?! Your created spring and summer displays sound wonderful.
I live with art and usually make it part of vacations in some way. Our house has several original paintings. I brought some of these home from trips so they represent my interaction with the artist. I’ve been to New Orleans twice on business trips and both times got paintings I love. Our art expresses some themes for us: our love of corvids and birds in general, bicycles, and music. When I travel I try to find an art museum or local gallery to visit.
In a very small-scale way, I create art by painting “kindness rocks” and leaving them for people to find at bus stops and in nearby parks. They may have simple designs, flowers, or a short saying. Looking at each rock’s shape and color and thinking about how I will work with that and respect it even as I transform it puts me in a state of flow that I appreciate.
Taking this as “the arts” as others have done, I love live theater and one daughter majored in musical theater so I’ve been to many a performance. I played piano and flute as a young woman and have the piano I learned on; I occasionally sit and play and enjoy knowing this other language even if I’m not as fluent as I once was.
I sometimes think about those who didn’t have my opportunities to learn both to create and to appreciate and it saddens me. Everyone deserves to have art in their lives, to be taken beyond and outside of the everyday.
I found a painted rock on vacation with my daughter and it brought me so much joy. I have it in my front rock garden. I would buy one from you, lol.
Kindness rocks! What a wonderful idea! Maybe I’ll do that sometime.
Barb, What a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing. I especially liked hearing about your trips to New Orleans. I lived there for 5 years in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I did a stint as a blues singer at the Court of the Two Sisters, Bourbon street side which was a bar at that time. I think it serves as a sandwich shop these days. I agree that everyone deserves to have art in their lives and am sadden that many of our public schools have cut them out of the curriculum.
Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful story, to be a blues singer in News Orleans!
I do enjoy art in many forms and I like going to museums and listening to music. I also experience art in the natural world and in the daily observing of the world around me.
As for making art, I enjoy taking photos and my job as a videographer and editor, while I wouldn’t call what I do Art, it does let me play with aesthetic and form, but it’s mostly problem solving. Occasionally, I can get lost in the process, and that feels good to me. And of course getting paid is very rewarding. 😁
Art gladdens my heart. When I paint I get lost in my creation. When I hear music my feelings deepen. When I see ballet I get drawn into the story, the movement and the scenery. Art helps me to be free of my worries, my hard feelings, all my stresses, at least in that moment. Art is my liberator. Art is creation. Art can show me the essence of who I am.
Music has always been my way of art. I played the keyboards and sax for many years when younger but they Went on the sideline. When I retired I got back to recording keyboards again and 2 years ago I started to learn guitar. Music brings joy to me either by playing or listening
My garden is the place of art in my life where nature helps me create amazing beauty, fragrance and nourishment for all to appreciate and enjoy.
Today is the filth day of migraine attacks, so the quote of the days is about waiting and the art of waiting.
Stuffing and the art of suffering- I didn’t want to give in and get help to stop the pain of the migraine. I thought it would go away . It’s getting better when I wait for the iv to work . I’m sorry to complain. I’m trying to see that life is not always the way we want it to be . I’m fighting back the tears of feeling lonely.
Yes, Antoinette – I strongly echo Kevin – Don’t be sorry about ‘complaining’ about that painful situation! Warm wishes to you – 🙂
Thank you Mica. 💕
Oh my goodness, Antoinnette, you are dealing with so, so very much here. No wonder you are feeling sadness and of course you are close to tears as well. I have a few friends who also struggle with intense, prolonged migraines and even from my angle of view it seems like a horrendous condition to live and cope with. So don’t think for a moment that anyone here thinks that you are complaining. Instead, you are giving us a chance to hold you in thought, prayer, and love and also in conversation when and however it is a source of comfort for you.
Thank you so much Kevin. I appreciate so much your kindness and prayers. I’m very grateful.🙏
Antoinette, so sorry to hear how you are struggling right now. I too get migraines that go on for 5 days or more. Like Barb I take sumatriptan and also find that taking 3 x 100grams of Vitamin B2 every day helps to ease the severity. It has been found to be as effective as any of the drug preventatives in research by the Migraine Society in UK. I do think you are right in seeing waiting and suffering as an art form. When we can become spacious the pain and suffering has room to be as it needs to be and isn’t so intense.
Sending you love and healing ❤️🙏
Thank you . I appreciate it Butterfly. I will try the B2.
Antoinette, It’s my thought that giving-in is not giving-up. I pray you are experiencing some relief.
Thanks Carol. The people here at the hospital are very kind and one night here will be helpful .
Antoinette, Loving energy coming your way. Glad to know someone is there for you.
I’m so sorry to hear this! That you can still pivot the question into “the art of waiting” is a real accomplishment under such painful circumstances.
I too get migraines that can wipe me out, although I’m generally able to treat them with sumatriptan succinate (my BFF!). It is terrible. Offering my experience in case it provides a bit of hope or optimism–I had many as a younger woman, then they were rare for a number of years, then they reared up again, and now the frequency appears to be subsiding. I hope that trend continues.
Thanks Barb. I use the same meds. I hope you don’t get any more migraines!
Antoinette, I am so sorry you are suffering with migraines. Throughout my life, I have also suffered from headaches and the occasional migraine. Some meds gave me relief, but they had to be taken at the slightest hint of a migraine. The upside, is that they tend get less severe or to go away completely as we get older. Sending cool relieving thoughts your way.
Thank you 🙏