How we choose what we do, and how we approach it…will determine whether the sum of our days adds up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art.
Artists begin their work with intention and purpose
They have some idea about the end product they want to create, whether it is a song, a poem, a painting or a movie. But along the way, they adapt to change, outside influences, unexpected events, still with an eye on what they want to achieve but oscillating between action and reflection, refining and evolving…
Just as Frank Sinatra put it…
“DO BE DO BE DO”
Every moment we are creating our own experiences. Our thoughts, our words, our actions are all instances of our ability to bring into life, something in the space where nothing existed before. Life is the canvas, our relationships are the canvas, conversations are the canvas, dreams are the canvas. Ultimately you are a powerful creator of your masterpiece, your artwork, your reality.
You may have heard the saying ‘life imitates art’ but in reality life and art are one and the same, they are both the product or fruit of our creative self, our skills, and our choices.
Every day is a new canvas, that can be overlaid on your work in progress. What do you want to create today, that is helping to bring to life your masterpiece. You have the ability to take nothing, and turn it into something magical. Something that adds value to another person’s life. Something that brings out the best in you. That’s creativity.
As an artist and speaker, when I learned to adapt to change, not to see problems but rather possibilities, when I accepted that life wouldn’t go according to plan but that I could create something wonderful, then that was when I was truly living every day and seeing every day as a beautiful day, because I didn’t know how many beautiful days I had left, how many canvases I could still paint. It’s more important to focus on what’s in front of you to make it wonderful, and it’s what you DO that matters, not what you think, say or plan. Michelangelo, Picasso, Rembrandt, Mozart – they didn’t create masterpieces by just thinking about it – they made each piece happen, made it a reality.
Your life is defined by what’s in your head – and you are the only one in there!
In a fast paced ever changing world, we often have to step up and respond to challenging events, change, conflict or judgement from others. It’s not always comfortable. We have to modify what we put on our canvas, what we include, what we take away and what we ignore, but the choices are ours to make.
Author
Linda’s first book “Reflections in the Face of Change”, won the Gowor International Publishing Award in 2016. This book details the unexpected challenges that Linda faced in her first marriage, but more importantly, the way Linda overcame these challenges, and the lessons learned, which she shares in the ‘reflections’ at the end of the chapters. It’s a book of overcoming the unexpected, something we will all face at some point in our lives, and the tools and strategies should be applicable to any situation.
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