The Arts

Grandma Moses began painting in her 70s, after her eyesight got so bad she couldn't embroider anymore. And her fame is history.

In 2006, her painting Sugaring Off, sold for $1.2 million. Well, we shouldn't all aspire to lofty art sales, but we should all aspire to enjoy the creativity that is somewhere in us. Think back to finger painting in nursery school or grade school: that was fun, wasn't it? And Play-Doh? Who hasn't loved the Play-Doh Fun Factory?!

What happened to that fun? For some, the thought of someone scrutinizing your artwork took you out of the creativity world. For others, perhaps competition. Someone else had a better 5-finger turkey than you.

When we lived in East Lansing, I became an arts volunteer for our local grade school. Once a week I would present a print of a famous painting by some famous artist, and give a brief explanation of the art and history of the artist. One thing I tried to impress on the young kids was, "You can do this, too!"

Why would I tell them that? We all can make art. Paintings, jewelry, sculpture, music. We all have it in us, or did at one time. Sometimes it's difficult to share our attempts with others, but that should not keep us from...just creating!

Me? I paint periodically. I quilt. I love to cross stitch but my 49-yr.-old eyesight makes that prohibitive on most days. I play the piano. I just started cello lessons!

And this blog? I gave myself the assignment to write every day this summer. Creativity. Let me tell you, THIS assignment is difficult, yet thoroughly enjoyable.

Try some art. You will be pleasantly surprised.