Our lives are full of the mundane. Washing dishes, paying taxes, driving to work – I’m not necessarily talking about that.
What I am trying to say is that artistic expression is not limited to music, books, or visual arts like photography and painting.
If you allow it, creativity can infiltrate many other aspects of your life, even if you don’t think of yourself as an artist. Cooking? Art. Carpentry? Art. Gardening? You get the idea.
athleticism vs creativity
I grew up in a family that (conciously or unconsciously) pitted intelligence and creativity against athleticism. All of our neighbours’ kids took part in some sort of sports: football, acrobatics, biathlon.
My parents insisted on music. My mum loves to perform, and she worked as a guitar teacher outside of her day job. My dad is a luthier, a person who literally makes guitars.
They wanted a musical child that plays piano, sings, and participates in maths competitions. And hey, I loved maths, but I don’t have a natural talent for music. Music lessons were always a source of stress and resentment, because I was essentially forced into it. The first opportunity that I had, I dropped my piano lessons.
Still, I remember snide remarks how anyone can do sports, yet it takes talent and hard work to be creative and get good grades (which is obviously bullshit).
unconscious self-limitations
As a result, I had integrated the idea that I am not an athlete as part of my identity. Fast forward to now, people ask me if I’d been running all my life. If I’d turned to yoga from a background in dance or gymnastics.
Incredibly, finding my love for movement was a journey I had fully undergone as an adult. It was a journey of exploration and trying many different ways to move, from rock climbing and aerial circus to boxing and weightlifting.
Turns out, I love to move! Even though I’ve settled into the yoga and running, I am still hungry to try other forms of movement. I see it as a chance to enrich and support my “main” activities, meet new people, and expand my horizons.
movement and art are not opposites
This brings me to my original point. I grew up with a binary mindset of brain-vs-brawn, and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong!
I get to exercise my creativity every time I compose a yoga sequence or choose the music for my practice. When I’m out for a run, I get to enjoy nature, take pictures, or learn something new via books and podcasts.
It goes both ways. There are plenty of traditional art forms that require athleticism: theatre, dance, circus, performing music on stage… Gosh, even mimes have to train their body to perform.
your life is art
Okay, the title may be an exaggeration. That said, it’s worth seeking out opportunities to flex your creative muscles.
Next time you write a shopping list, why not jazz it up? Next time you’re folding laundry, sweeping, insert a boring chore – blast some music and sing along. Stuck in traffic? Do the video editing you’ve been putting off.
Living in this world is challenging. It can be tedious, tragic, anger-inducing, unbearable. Living is also beautiful. By making art through your very existence you add to the beauty and make the world a better place.