Art for Art's Sake

Part of my fall "bucket list" is to make even more "art for the sake of art".

So yesterday, after many days of tending to quite literally crisis after crisis...

(see this link to donate to hurricane disaster relief for the nation of Haiti.  The Preacher, also known as my pastor-husband, is the president of Bethanie Missions of Haiti, and we can personally guarantee that every dollar goes directly to water filters, food, and the rebuilding homes for the people there.  He will be heading down in a few weeks, as a matter of fact.  If you know other ministries personally, please donate there.  But if you do not personally know a "boots on the ground" ministry in Haiti, we are, at Harvest Church, boots on the ground.)

...The Preacher and I escaped to our favorite spot.  We needed to talk, laugh, sketch, dream, and I needed to shoot around with my new toy...




(Overlook my hair.  I am growing out my gray - which is almost completely sterling silver.  But that is another blog post for another day.  The process is grueling on my self esteem.)

He needed to talk through some ministry burdens with me as his sounding board.  I am just now, at almost 50 years old, learning what it means to "hold the space" for someone.  I am leaning into the concept of being a witness to one person's pain or joy or deep thought, without feeling the need to be an answer to a question or a solution to a problem.

I needed to sketch...

And shoot around some more...

...and we both needed a nap.  Which we took.

And then this happened:

We were wide awake after that.

One of the disciplines in my life that has added to the quality of my life the very most in the last 5 years has been the making of art for art's sake.  I never leave the house without carrying something portable with me - something that gives me an ability to create.  That may be a sketchbook and pencil.  That may be an iPad with the Procreate app on it.  That may be a bag like the one I took with me yesterday (pictured above).  That may be my iPhone with my favorite art-making apps all loaded and ready to go.

It wasn't until I was okay with making silly, bad, worthless, inconsequential, unnecessary art, that I found the spaciousness of my own creative place.

You have a room inside your heart.  It is full of creative ideas that want to come tumbling out.  Sing your songs, write your lyrics, paint, decorate...do a little of what lights you up every day.

You never know what (or who!) might show up, just for you.