Art as Usual is all about living an art-filled life. The phrase came to me in March of 2008. I had fallen out of the habit of making art after having left school and for 10 years was, at best, sporadic. For years my job as a floral designer kept me using my creativity but when I became a stay-at-home mom I lost even that opportunity to "make stuff". I became pretty irritable and frustrated feeling and KNEW that I was missing something in my life, but couldn't put my finger on it. My mom knew. My husband knew. Everyone knew but me, I guess. I needed to make art. If you're an artist you know what I mean. The need to create is something within us that is as necessary to our health and happiness as any of the other "good" habits in our life.
Back to that day in March, I had recently decided to devote one night a week to art. It didn't matter what I made, or if I even made anything. I was just going to play and make a mess. I also learned to let go of any need for inspiration and instead rely on God to provide it through my play. I was just going to do the work and enjoy the process instead of worrying about the product. I began coming up with little exercises to cultivate ideas and that day I'd decided to take all the little bits of paper I'd cut from magazines or newspapers and mix them all up and then pick out a couple to create a phrase. Almost immediately I saw the word ART and near it the little phrase "as usual". It struck me then that that was how I wanted to live my life. I wanted to make art the everyday usual in my life and not the extra-ordinary. I vowed to infuse my home, my clothes, my cooking, my parenting, and everything else I do, with art.
This blog is about that journey. It has essays about living the art-filled life, and about trying to make it as an artist, it has tutorials for some of the inspirations that have come up during this journey, it has recommendations for good books, or shares the artistic finds I make. It's all about life and art and making Art the USUAL. I sincerely hope you enjoy your experience here. Thanks for visiting!!!
