“Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.”
“Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn’t matter. The intent does.”
“Art is the product of emotional labor. If it’s easy and risk free, it unlikely that it’s art.”
– Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Art as a Way of Life
Midway through Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, I’m struck by his definition of art above. The book is more focused on what Seth calls “The New World of Work” and becoming indispensible (i.e. a linchpin), but when his ideas about art are fully understood, it’s clear that art, as Seth defines it, really pervades all aspects of one’s life.
Art is about how you do things, not what you do. As Seth states, the medium can be anything ranging from clay and paint to elegantly written, innovative code or even a well-timed smile and a comment conveying real understanding and appreciation of another.
When you’re deeply involved in creating art, all other things, including the dust of everyday life, don’t matter or even register, and you’ve found your flow. Art and flow seem to be inextricably linked.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
“[I]n essence, what our life is consists [of] experiences related to work, to keeping, things we already have from falling apart, and to whatever else we do in our free time. It is within these parameters that life unfolds, and it is how we choose what we do, and how we approach it, that will determine whether the sum of our days add up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art.” Finding Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Reaching Mastery
I’m encouraged by the fact that every piece of art ever created was at one time a work in progress. Maybe it was even touch and go at some point with the Mona Lisa… until da Vinci turned a corner, added his final touches, and decided it was finished.
It seems the same is true of life… Making our lives a unique masterpiece, a crowning achievement, won’t happen overnight. And, being easily discouraged ensures that we’ll never reach it.
I view my life very much as a work in progress, and actually, I hope never to feel differently about it. These days I’m just happy to feel like things are taking shape and finding a new, recognizable form.
What about you? How are you adding art to your life? Is it in your work, in your kitchen, at your laptop, in your garden, through a lens, or actually on a canvas? I’d love to hear about it…
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Photo Credit: wallyg, here on Flickr
