Four Ways to Nurture Your Inner Artist

I gave myself the gift of walking along the hilly, shop lined streets of Shrewsbury, England with my camera for a much needed "Artists Day".  Shrewsbury has over 700 shops. It was delightfully fun and my inner child was in heaven.

 

Do something right now:  "Forget everything else on your "to do" list for the next hour and go outside with a pencil and sketchbook or a small container of watercolors and as quickly as you can, capture what you see." 

Give yourself the pleasure of an "Artists Day":  "Go visit a museum, an antique shop, a garden center or some other place where you can meander for hours with no agenda.  After the experience, see how inspired and renewed you feel and how it fed your creativity."

Buy something that you have been denying yourself:  "Buy that new tube of cobalt blue, magenta or lemon yellow paint.  Then go paint on either the biggest or smallest canvas you can find.  See what happens!" 

Play music:  "Music excites that right side of the brain further stimulating your creativity... and no difference if its Mozart, Pavarotti, Brightman or the Beatles."

Cultivating Curiosity

One of my photographs taken on a walk.  Had I been driving I would have missed these sweet colorful flowers reaching up towards the sun.

Philosophers, psychologists, mystics, and guru's all have sage advice on how to live a happier life.  But what really works?  I have found that one of the most effective ways to achieve greater personal fulfillment and happiness is to seek novelty in my day-to-day life.  Trying new things breaks us out of our habit thoughts and behaviors and wakes us up.  It pushes us into the moment. 

The human brain is actually energized by surprise and discovery.  So, to be happier, be curious, be in "learning mode", ask questions, develop “beginners mind” and begin to enjoy surprise; experience what its like to talk with someone you know well as if its the first time; experiment drawing with your left hand instead of your right; travel down a distant road you’ve never been on before; travel to a new city, a new state or to a foreign country; get out of your car and ride a bus, a bike or a train  - or better yet, walk.  Take a walk in the rain or walk at night with only the light of the moon and stars to guide you.

Each day, take one small step to follow a long held dream.  Instead of saying you’re going to work, say you’re going to “play”; wear a different color than you normally wear; read a Mary Oliver poem or The Wall Street Journal – it doesn’t really matter what it is as long as it’s something you've never read before and just stay curious.  Commit to curiosity. Commit to discovery. 

Repeating the same behaviors may feel comfortable but comfort is not the same as being happy. If more happiness and joy are what you want, then challenge the status quo.   If you do, you will probably begin to breath deeper and smile more, your self-consciousness might fly out the window and there might be a dance in your step!

This sign made me laugh.  It was on a wall in Shrewsbury and I almost didn't take the picture.  I walked by...then went back and captured it.  I loved discovering this part of the world.  Everything was new and different.  I vowed to stay curious.  I wondered how long this sign had been there.  It looked very old.