Oftentimes, when we have a lot on our plate, our art practice is the first thing to get relegated to the back burner.
If you have to choose between washing the clothes and creating art, which do you choose?
If you have to choose between tidying the living room and doing art, which do you choose?
Certainly there are times when we MUST do the chores first, but at other times how do you weigh it up?
If you have to choose between a creative position and one that earns more money, which do you choose?
Do you believe in the adage “Do what you love and the money will follow”? Do you believe your powers of manifestation need to be honed a bit more before you can subscribe to this belief? Are there “limiting beliefs” you are still working on around money?
The world we live in is one that likes to dismiss the creative as frivolous so that we can give way to more linear, “logical”, and more importantly, measurable things. This informs all parts of our life experience such as how you write your resume or CV for a job application (no images or silly colours, please), or what programmes in schools get more funding (hint: it’s never the arts). In turn, all of this leads us to believe art is not important and we need to spend less time “living in Fantasyland” and more time getting down to some “real work”.
But, consider this. Everything needs balance. In nature, plants space out and grow in a practical way so that they can optimise their exposure to sunlight and water, yet they also produce beautiful flowers to attract the eyes of bees and birds. The all important phone in your hand is filled with logical code for functionality, but it is the graphics and moving images that keep us engaged and make it more user friendly. An accountant may work with figures all day, but go out for dinner (created beautifully on the plate by the chef) and a performance (art on stage) at night for relaxation. Everything exists in both spaces, the utilitarian and the creative.
Humans are not machines. We need art to make us see differently and to engage with the world, to give us joy and to give us life.
As artistic and creative beings, it is our role to help with the balance because there is already enough encouragement for the lesser creative things. We are here for this purpose. In a world that is intent on only rewarding the logical, we pull everything back into balance so our Earthboat does not tip over. And we need people who can see in a different way in order to move us forward in our evolution. You may wish to, or have to, pursue a logic-based job to pay your rent…but if you are feeling pulled to do something creative at other times, do that.
Our world needs you to do creative things.
It is the balance working its way through you into the universe.
