Jan
27
By Sarah Playle
There is a place art takes you, a place outside your own head, where all the cares and problems of life drift away as you become immersed in this other realm - a realm of nothing but color and pure spontaneous expression.
I write this while sitting in my new favourite cafe. I have ordered just a plain small coffee that I have sipped for the last hour. Some country music plays on the speakers and people walk by me constantly, as I sit near the main doors. There is the clatter of dishes, laughter of visiting friends, voices of Barista's taking orders, and to me, it is all background noise as my mind silently slips into a creative trance that allows my heart and soul to relax.
I come here this afternoon after a stressful morning of trying to figure out how to pay a large bill that was meant to be paid by money expected that day...only to have it not come. Phone calls were made, people were talked to, and all doors were slammed shut, leaving me tired and frustrated and fleeing to where I sit now as I write this.
And in amongst this comforting coffee shop cocoon, I let my troubled mind drift away in the art I am creating; in the carefully outlined ink shapes and the large swatches of color pencil. And when I look up an hour later, the fatigue and frustration is gone. I feel relaxed, at peace. Art is not just creating an 'interesting' picture, but it is a way to mentally escape the chaos of North American life.
I have always disliked it when someone tells me, "I can't draw even a stick figure, I just don't have the talent." Art is not about some elusive 'talent', but is about expression, and *everyone* has something to express in their own unique way. Art should not be viewed as a privilege for a special elite talented few, but should be a right for any human. There are so many classes out there that teach the 'technicalities' of the various forms of art, but where are the classes that teach creativity and self-expression? *Those* are the classes that are needed; classes to teach a person how to reach into their own heart and express what is inside in whatever form they feel inspired to.
So to anyone who has ever even considered trying art, I say, go ahead, pick up a pen, get a piece of paper and draw - doodle - make stick figures and lines or smush finger paint together. Do whatever your heart calls for and regain your innate right to be an artist.