Let There Be Words
Posted by Lisa Stevens on
I do not feel I am overly artistic. I never excelled at art class in school, I don't draw or paint or play any instruments (I used to play the flute....way back in Junior High School....but I picked flute because it would fit in my backpack and no one even knew I played....oh silly teenager...lol). I enjoy doing crafts but don't find any of them are overly "artistic" in nature. I love to dance, but not in a graceful dancer kind of way...more like a "I like to move it, move it" kinda way...just for fun hahaha.
But the one area where I feel I could excel in the arts is with writing. Not novels or long stories....but with poetry and song writing. I love words. I love using words to express myself, as well as make sense of the world around me. Reading other's works gives me such joy. Poetry moves me, songs create joy and/or pain (and both are equally satisfying) and novels help stir my imagination beyond what I could dream up. I love putting my own words to paper (or computer screen) and seeing what emotions I can extract from others. Am I any good at it? I have no idea...lol But I do know I enjoy it. Over the years, I have written less and less, in fact I have not written poetry since high school and song writing for many years. Other "more important" activities have taken up my time and brain power (having kids, can I get an amen? LOL) and then some not so important activities as well...I won't name them, but you know the social media traps...:P
I believe the blogs are a way of me to share my words in a constructive manner. But sometimes I just don't want to be constructive....I want to create for the joy of creating. That is what I used to do when I would write. I would write because the words wanted to spill out of me...they were longing to be written, they were pounding on my heart until I could bear it no longer and put pen to paper and let them escape. They were never profound or elegant but they were simple and sweet and therapeutic to my soul to write and then later read them. My heart has not felt that uncontrollable desire for a long time...maybe it is time for me to open up and let the words flow again? Maybe it is time to connect with myself and let my own words remind me of the joy and pain of life.
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- Tags: art, artistic, creativity, writing
I read this after your last post about quitting and failing. As I am progressing through my 40’s, things are changing. I always thought I was artistic but I would have a hard time saying I was really good at any one thing or that any one thing even drew my attention more often than not. But all of a sudden, things are becoming clearer. My bents are coming together to point in one direction. My need to create is stronger, maybe because I am not creating life in a physical way, I can funnel more energy into my creative outlet. I feel focused and willing to take time for myself which works together. I always thought of certain artistic people in my life as rather selfish before but am starting to see why they needed their time for their thing. I really think our 40s are a new period of life, regardless of how old our children are, in which our direction and drive become more focused. We do use our past experiences to form this focus and to keep us on the right track with our other commitments and responsibilities and loves. So write! Let it consume you occasionally and relish your moments with it!