Create or Die.
TOTAL READ TIME: 3.5 MINUTES
I started painting my fingernails in the 6th grade. Not just any ordinary painting, you see. It was my canvas. With the tiniest of paintbrushes my mother dug up from her art set, I drew designs. This included polka dots, stripes, or sometimes “GO ORIOLES!” our school mascot. (Conveniently one letter per fingernail, plus the exclamation mark.)
On Sunday evenings, I’d grab my plastic bin of supplies. It was the first ritual I’ve ever created. My heart was palpitating to see what emerged. I worked at the dining room table, while something like Wheel of Fortune, Matlock or Murder She Wrote played on the tiny TV. By the time the 10 o’clock news came on, my nails were dry. It was complete.
The second part of the ritual was Monday morning. My classmates would run over to grab my fingers, wanting to see this week’s creation. I’m not sure if they thought I was weird or cool. It didn’t matter because it brought me joy.
I didn’t do this to start an artist career. I did it because it stirred something inside of me.
What stirs you, inside of you? Sometimes I catch a glimpse. It may be your catchy earrings, your knitting or your gardening. It may be in your meticulous landscaping or your social media photography. I see it in your carpentry and your caregiving. I see it in your quilting and your cooking.
Kurt Vonnegut, an important voice in the 1960s+, later responded to a high schooler’s letter by saying, “Starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives.” He challenged the kid who sent the letter to “Write a six-lined poem, about anything, but rhymed. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, OK? Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash receptacles. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.”
Perhaps this is the pathway to happiness. This is why we choose to create art. It is why we create YouTube channels or TikTok videos. It is why we have obscure hobbies or collections.
On the surface, I may not understand your choice of expression. But on the inside, I see that your expression is your doorway to happiness.
This is why I write. I may not be a David Whyte or an Oscar Wilde. I may not be a Stephen King or a Jodi Picoult. That is not my goal. I write because words are my way to find deeper meaning in this turbulent human journey. As a bonus, I also connect with you.
How are you expressing your creative self? If you aren’t sure – just pay attention to when your heart ignites.
Then do more of it. I dare you.
Lorna Howarth
Dear Kathy
Woah! Having seen the quality of your photography, now to see your painting makes me absolutely certain that the visual artist in you is as accomplished as the writer. You really do have an innate sense of colour and form. I honestly thought the image you shared with this post was by a famous painter! I do love your shares, photos, thoughts and imagery. You bring colour and depth to my life. Thank you.
Kathy
Thank you dear Lorna! Yes, this Rooster I did about a decade ago, back when my creativity was bursting more through acrylic painting. My oldest son was around 2 years old, and it gave me an outlet for this and a few others. It is interesting to observe how creativity moves into different forms…today i don’t paint at all really, but writing and photography, as you well know, makes my heart stir.