By Sandra Cook
Over the years I’ve heard many friends and clients say, “I have no talent at all, I can’t do art. My mother, aunt, cousin, daughter got all the talent.” And I would beg to differ.
Consider the word art, a noun: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
We can all live an art full life. That artist might not be reflected in painting the Mona Lisa or sculpting a David and yet there is art within all of us. Anytime you create a beautiful garden or arrange flowers in a Mason jar, you are calling on the inner aesthetic within you. You create a beautiful room, picking out just the right wall color or add pillows in a certain way, arrange family photos above the fireplace again that is the aesthetic within you. When doing any creative activity, you are caring, mindful and drawing on that inner aesthetic. Whether it is a painting by a famous artist or pottery from a local potter, they are drawing on that same aesthetic to create their works of art. When you touch or look at a piece of art the artist is in the work.
You better believe that artist put their heart and soul into their art work. It is what brings art alive, just as you put your heart and soul into cooking a great meal for family or friends; think creatively about an outing you are planning. It is about appreciating what is good in life, and there is always something good. We all live an art full life, whether it is appreciating a particular piece of art or artist’s work, or going about your daily life in a thoughtful and caring way.
Sandra is a ceramic and fiber artist living in Palmer. She will be doing Raku Firing for the upcoming Who Let the Girls Out in Palmer on April 23rd.