there are many different ways

So, after my sense of defeat in front of the canvas last week, I decided to take myself out on Saturday to look at art and lots of it. I haven't done that since I was in my 20's and it was wonderful. I soaked in the pure pleasure of being alone in Munroe's bookshop and spent a long, quiet time flipping through all different kinds of art books. Some I liked, some I didn't and some I discovered for the first time.

I purposely avoided predictable books showcasing artists like Michelangelo and Monet. Not that I don't like their work, but I wanted to get inspired to do something new or at least something I knew I could do. So I stuck mainly to abstract and modern art, and I'm so glad I did. I saw it in a whole new light.

There were paintings that were beautiful, some that were weird and some that I thought were a bit ridiculous (like the black square on canvas). But whatever the art, what I loved was that there are so many different ways to create. OK, this may sound obvious, but don't we forget that sometimes? I think so often when we look at an artists work and say, "I can't do that" we negate any ability we may have to do something equally amazing and completely different. If a black canvas can be called art, then why not streaks of your favorite colour or the way you see the sky? How do you see the sky? Is it just blue or does it move in shades of blue, purple and gray? What would it feel like to paint in a way that you see the world? How does your soul sing on the page? This is what art is all about, it is self expression and each of us express ourselves differently. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and the most important beholder is you.

So today I went back into the studio and I saw everything in a brand new light. I'm working on something new, something that I am enjoying, something that I actually like. It feels so good to let go of what I think something should be and to embrace what is. It's kind of like riding a bike after a long hiatus away from one, you are a bit wobbly at first, but once you get going, it's like you never stopped.