On Behalf of Storytellers, Musicians, Sculptors and Cooks

An example of the creative pursuits of my girl. To hear
my boy's latest creation, Cobblestone, click this link.

     I come from a line of musicians and storytellers who loved nothing more than to share the gift of laughter or deep, resonant emotion with others. My earliest memories are of sitting in stifling rooms heated by cast iron wood-burning stoves or caged kerosene heaters, listening to my dad and his brothers and sisters recount the parade of drunks and dimwits who crossed their paths growing up in Forney, Rock Run and Spring Garden.

     Those storytelling sessions evolved into campfire Christmas gatherings at my Aunt Connie’s, where guitars, banjos and the occasional harmonica provided the sound track to the stories. The set to this biopic was my Aunt’s wildly illuminated Christmas display that was a little like a gingerbread house by a crack-addicted elf.

     On the Bates side of my family there was quilting, crocheting and sewing along with the kitchen arts. There always seemed to be a cake tin filled with buttons and spools of thread rolling underfoot while Apple Dapple cake, a chocolate sheet cake with fudge icing or oatmeal-peanut butter no-bake cookies were setting on the counter.

     After I married, home became a sea of arts and crafts, the supplies spilling like gentle waves washing paints, brushes, clay, glitter and glue onto the floor like a rising tide, the line between creative chaos and orderly homemaking blurred. There have been bronze sculptures, clay prototypes, watercolors, crayons, oils and pencils, not to mention piano music, guitar tunes and songs sung at top volume coming from every room of the house.

     I cannot imagine living in a house without art. It is as natural in my family as breathing. Madonna may have had to encourage her fans to express themselves, but we need no such prodding. In fact, you can count on being invited into an art project if you’re around our house for long. It’s one of the fruits of living in the art ocean.

     There is a price to pay for living the art life, but in that cost are some key lessons learned from pursuing the art life. Messes will happen. Forget the notion of a perfect and pristine home. Know going in that every fun art project ends in the drudgery of clean up. Mistakes will happen too, but they often result in opportunities. Every paint drip and glue glob is an opportunity to create something new.

     There is a reward in pursuing creativity. The discovery that you can bake a cookie, decorate a cake, paint a tree or play a tune can be life changing. And, the discovery that others can find enjoyment from your creation? Well, there’s nothing like it.

     Today, create, then share your creation with someone else for them to enjoy. You may discover a new passion and you might just make someone else’s day.