Art is an essential part of the quality of life.
In my dream world, there would be public art everywhere; end of year art sale; and what's happening in the studio this week.
"People don't understand we're the only country in the world that thinks art is a luxury. Everyone else in the world understands that art is an essential part of the quality of life." - Steven Van Zandt on 60 Minutes, Nov 19, 2023
I begin each day sitting in my studio, which doubles as my office.
I sit on the art side of the room, which is painted white and faces the office side, which is a bright saturated pink. I love that pink wall. On the art side of things are my art supplies, work table, and paintings, completed and in progress. I just finished adding tiny white fairy lights at the ceiling around the room, and they add a whole sparkle that I am here for. It’s a magical room.
I drink tea and look out the windows at the morning light, which is gorgeous in this room. I’ll take notes for the day, write my morning pages, meditate, and sometimes draw and paint. It’s a beautiful way to start my day.
If I’m working as a psychic today, I’ll be getting ready for a class, writing a curriculum or blog post, or meeting with clients or colleagues. Perhaps working on my psychic Substack, The Art of Being Psychic.
If it’s an art day, I spend more time painting, working on this newsletter, reading and listening to music and podcasts, experimenting, and posting my work. Sometimes an art day is about going out to see an art show, or explore a new place.
Perhaps I’ve scheduled a painting day. I look at my paintings in progress pinned to the wall, and see what it is they need to be complete. The key is to look and see what they are now. I think this is true for people too.
Many of my work days are a mix of both art and psychic work, and I like the balance each gives the other. Working on a page in my painting journal is a great foil to writing a blogpost or article in my newsletter or website. Each helps balance the other, and keeps me from getting too stuck in anything.
Recently I started making these super fun bookmarks.
Though these are very simple, and meant to be used daily as bookmarks (I personally have 10 of them tucked into various books right now), they are helping me learn about color relationships, layering paint with glazes, and simplifying my compositions. Plus they are just fun and satisfying to make, low pressure on having a perfect painting, which is healing for me! They are also not for sale - I’m not offering them in my storefront, I’ve just been creating a bunch of them and giving them as gifts.
In my dream world, there would be public art everywhere.
Artists would be paid well to beautify cities and towns, and by ‘artists’ I mean painters, musicians, poets, performers, gardeners and landscapers, and anyone who helps to make public spaces things of beauty, art, and imagination. Billboards would either go away, or become art shows. More murals everywhere! Oh, the possibilities.
Also featured in dream world: the abolishment of leaf blowers. I know that we have the technology to create quiet solar powered leaf suckers that do not blow noise, dust, and garbage everywhere. Better yet, use the leaves to compost, and get over needing to conquer nature. Seriously.
I enjoy living in big cities because of the large amount of art available to be seen. More artists, performers, musicians, and writers means more available art for everyone, which in turn inspires more people to make art, or be creative in some way. Everyone is creative, it’s healing for us. People who are committed to whichever art form they love and practice generally do not start wars or other foolish and destructive wastes of time and energy.
This doesn’t mean that destruction isn’t important to the creation of art. One of the most helpful things to remember as an artist is that destruction is necessary in order to create the next version. Sometimes it just takes a stroke of the pen, a swipe of the brush, a different choice in a performance, to go deeper and get to the heart of what we are trying to say.
We are constantly creating and destroying as we evolve and transform, as we make new worlds. This is another important lesson that creativity and making art teaches us: the power of letting go.
Art has a healing power simply by existing.
Art fuels the imagination, and imagination is crucial for creating ourselves and our world.
The key for me as an artist is daily access. Even if all I do on a particularly busy day is touch my art supplies, make a few splotches or lines in my painting journal, or just look at everything, I am healed by the presence of art in my life. I am so grateful to have this relationship, and cannot imagine how I’d be or feel without it.
All of my paintings are on sale through 12/31/23!
Every single painting in my online shop is on sale now through 12/31/23!
Check out my art shop online, and get some original art for yourself, or as a gift for an art lover on your list.
Podcast Inspiration: On Being with Krista Tippett
Christiana Figueres: Ecological Hope, and Spiritual Evolution
Christiana Figueres was instrumental in the creation of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“If you have wondered how to keep hope alive amidst a thousand reasons to despair, if you are ready to take your despair as fuel — intrigued by the idea of stepping into love and immediate realities of abundance and regeneration — this conversation is for you.”
Inspiration and places to visit
Scraplanta Creative Reuse is an amazing place!
If you live in the Atlanta area, check out this incredible shop of gently used and all donated supplies for artists and crafters, located in a shopping center in Tucker, GA. Prices are incredible, selection is ever changing. Find Scraplanta here.
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a beautiful creative week.
Kris