February 15th - Art Saves Lives - Myrrhmade Love Where You Are Challenge Day 15!

 February 15th - Welcome to day 15 of the Myrrhmade Love Where You Are Challenge! 

Come on in and join us!

Day 15: Art Saves Lives

When I was little my mum had a pin that said Art Saves Lives (she still probably does). I remember thinking it was really funny because a friend of hers was named Art and he was a bit of a goof, or at least he was with me. 

Whether or not it's true, art certainly makes life more worth living.

Do you have a favorite artist? A favorite art style? Is your life filled with art that you love? 

It can be so easy to check all the boxes, cross off the basics, and then stop, leaving boxes unpacked and art unhung. Going the extra mile to fill our lives with the things that we love, the soul-necessities, certainly helps to Love Where You Are.

Daily Challenge: Find a place in your life that needs more art and put some there. 

Do you have a favorite print or beloved panting waiting for a frame? 

Do you have a blank wall that would bring you joy if it displayed something beautiful? 

Don't forget to think about under-tended places like kitchens and bathrooms. It doesn't have to be a big space to be spruced up by adding something inspiring.

And for heaven's sake, make sure it's something YOU love. You're the one who's going to see it. 

 Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Confucius

If your life is already filled with art, how can you add creativity to your life in a new way? Food tastes better when it's beautiful. 

Daily Mindset Mantra:  Happiness Over Perfection

It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be framed. It could be a finger-painting that your neighbor's kid did or doodle on a napkin. 

If you feel good when you look at it, it's worth looking at it more often.

Adding some new life to a space by adding more art helps your brain move from survival to really living.  

Bonus task: Support An Artist That You Know.

Many of the artists that bring such beauty to our lives are struggling to keep their businesses going right now, particularly ones that rely on retail sales, craft fairs, and teaching. 

If you don't have the extra dallahs to purchase something, how can you help them? You can share a favorite piece on social media, send a supportive email, or recommend them to a friend.

My experience: 

When I was pregnant with my second child a year after the birth of my first, I realised that I had been putting my life on hold to meet the demands of motherhood. I also realized that if I was going to be a mum worth imitating, I had to nurture my own artistic spirit. 

I picked up my watercolor brushes again and after a year and a half I had my first solo art show in the café area of a local coop. 

I tried a couple other art forms that got little traction, and then started studying at Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar. It's through my classes and mentors there that I fell in love with woodcuts.

A couple of days ago I was chatting with a friend about our businesses. I'm just at the beginning stages of mine, and she's been in business for around eight years, since her older child was a baby. Neither of our businesses are the main income for our families but for both of us they are a bit of sanity in holding our lives and ourselves together in the midst of all the demands on our energy by other people. For me it also feels as though at times it's been a bookmark, reminding myself that my own passions and strengths are important and I am more than just a cook/maid/housecleaner/laundress/fire-extinguisher. 

After carving my snails and sending them off to a beloved professor who told me she would hang them in her new office at Dartmouth I've enjoyed the ideas of my prints bringing beauty and life to people's lives. 

I have lists of design ideas and am so excited to share a new woodcut print with you soon! 

How are you nurturing art and creativity in your life? 

Make sure to check back here tomorrow for the next challenge, the next tips, and the next dose of the Myrrhmade  Love Where You Are Challenge.

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