Art is all around us. We might not always see it right away, but it’s there. Art is in the craftsmanship of the chair you’re sitting in, or in the bouquet of coffee flavors I’m now sipping. Nature surrounds us with her art–like the dazzling sky paintings we find in an October sunset.
With all these daily surprises of art and beauty, we should be able to find pleasure in most of life’s moments, shouldn’t we? This question begs yet another question: How well do we live? I’m not talking about the realm of money. My mother taught me–as I grew up watching her set the table every day, making her home on a shoestring–that personal finances have little to do with honoring your life by living it well. It’s all about revering the art that’s all around us, and celebrating the everyday things.
Like:
- Picking flowers from the garden and feasting your eyes when you sit down for dinner
- Using the good china, just because
- Putting mint in your water, or lavender on your pillow
- Gazing at paintings on your wall that bring you joy–even if you’re three year old made them (especially because your three-year old made them).
- Gathering with loved ones over that special bottle of wine, using that gorgeous stopper, watching the shadows dance in the flicker of candles
- Decorating your front door with your favorite colors in flowers
- Making room in your budget to travel
This list could go on and on, but my point is this: there is beauty and art and pleasure to be found everywhere–in the little things as much as in the extravagant. When I began to travel in my late 20’s, I was struck by the number of cultures based on this idea: living simply, but well. Like in Italy–with its food and wine, art and opera…
That’s what I strive for with my work as an artist: to encourage a celebration of life and those things that bring us joy– and honoring the sacred in the everyday art of living.
Stephanie Schlatter Art 