Trapped in what should be? Try turning it around
What colour the sky should be, what the subjects you’re representing in your art should look like, how art materials or tools should be used, which art materials real artists should use, how artists should look and talk, how things should turn out, what should have been, what you should do now, how you should understand or narrate your life experiences…
How are ideas of what should be holding you back from creating the beautiful art and life that you could be creating?
Sneak a peek and change how you feel…
These petite artworks are a sneak peek into a new series of 9 artworks that are a part of a bigger whole that’s about social and ecological belonging (vague, I know - promise I’ll share more soon…)
The series is called Seeds of Belonging and each small artwork is an abstract of a metaphorical landscape with planted seeds (or is it fruit?).
I really wanted each small landscape to be able to be experienced any side up - to offer multiple perspectives, to break out of my lazy landscape assumptions and surprise myself with new ideas for abstract landscape compositions, to invite the viewer’s imagination and meaning-making into the creative process, and to offer a palpable experience of how different the same situation can feel when we look at it from a different perspective.
Flip through the pics below and notice how the same abstract shapes and composition creates a very different landscape that FEELS so very different when viewed from a different side.
Landscapes with planted seeds (or is it fruit?) …
There are a total of nine small artworks in the series. Here are the others…
I love that they’re simple, imaginary, even a bit whimsical.
I’m excited that most of them feel like they work any side up. That’s got me turning over a whole bunch of interesting and fun ideas for a new series.
And I love how these little artworks are opening up new ideas for being more experimental, abstract, and playful with my landscape shapes, colours, and compositions!
Feeling trapped in what “should” be?
What in your life feels like it’s not right side up?
How do you know it’s not right side up?
Who says it should be / look another way?
Have you ever seen anyone or anything that looked a bit like your “wrong side up” and was pretty happy with it? What might they have been seeing or experiencing that makes them happy that you’ve not been noticing?
What sources of delight are you missing out on in your current situation by thinking it should look different?
How can you start noticing and embracing those sources of delight?
List 3 things that are most important to you in life…
In what ways does your “wrong side up” situation still offer you the opportunity to have some of that?
And how can you nurture even more of what’s important to you in life in your current situation?