We all know what we think Art is, in fact what usually comes to mind a Painting, a Sculpture a Drawing? What about us, what about our Bodies, our Mannerisms, our Quirks can we humans be a form of art?
We have likenesses and similarities but thankfully we are not the same, yet our society seems to be moving in the direction of homogeneously influencing us into one form. I love the movie "Robots" an animated flick showing the robots happy with their parts just the way they are until a new Robot comes along to tell them they are not good enough without shiny new parts. I can speak from experience about this issue as a sufferer of eating disorders born from a very poor self image. I spent the first half of my life chasing the perfect figure of myself in order to
fit in to the societal view of beauty so that I could make a success of who I am.At 44 years of age overweight, less then healthy, and staring straight at the second half of my life, it occurred to me that I was going to have to genuinely look at my life, at myself and find a new perspective to survive on. I had to stand in the bathroom mirror and look at my body for what it is right now, not ignore it and pretend that when I am thin I could actually look at myself in the mirror. Living in the moment, or as John Lennon said "Life is what your Living when your busy making plans" means we must embrace what is here now.
The picture of cellulite on my butt and thighs with a thick middle waist mirrored the images of menopausal woman I saw in the museum.
In fact I started paying attention to my body and my face as a unique morphing sculpture when viewed from my childhood to now. The Art is here in my image while I am aging and changing, still similar to other woman, my exact mole placement, wrinkle depth and softness from years of hormonal change is all my own.
The Art is not limited to my body I starting paying more attention to everything, the way I make my coffee, how I walk up and down the stairs, my routine when I shower and get ready for the day, it is all a form of the Art that is me. I watched others too, like the way my Sister lights her cigarette and holds it between her fingers while nimbly picking her fingernail polish off, or how my Dad sets up his coffee and donut on his walker with a paper-towel underneath like a placemat. I thought about a statement someone told me one time concerning a job, "everybody is replaceable" but think about it are they, sure maybe a whole bunch of us could answer a multiple line phone system, but we all do it our own unique way. Don't people who are apparently different from the "norm" hold your attention? And still doesn't a woman who is so plastic you can see her surgery lines make you stare too? We are Art, every move we make, sound, smell, and look is a Kaleidoscope, that with each turn a new appearance.
This revelation of the Art that is life allows me to take so much burden off myself. Instead of me thinking I have to be thin, have money, and a marriage before I am happy I can relax and just be in the moment for what it is. My disclaimer is that I am far from perfect at this perspective but practice makes somewhere close to almost perfect you know. I mean Awareness shows me how to cope and then knowledge gives me a lifeline to keep from drowning in the superficial seepage of our culture and society that I thought I was supposed to emulate. Somewhere at some point along the way from birth, ideas and beliefs mess with our minds and convince us that we have to be worthy to be happy. When experiencing Art do we judge it according to our past, yes we do, can we view the same piece differently after several years of living, yes we can. I am sure my way of seeing myself as Art has to evolve as I do, but what a Beautiful Light way to approach life going forward, I have an uplifted idea of what waking up tomorrow will be.
Written by Dawn, Wellness Educator
Goddess Art "Sacred Remembering" by "Arachne" (Karen Fredrickson)
Robot Photo Courtesy of Blend Stock Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment