One thing I often hear when people visit my house is that there is so much to look at, so much to feel refreshed and inspired by. In my living space it's very important for me to have something to rest my eyes on and be inspired by, and in turn, that really helps me to refresh my mind and body so that I can deal with what life throws at me with as much grace as I can muster!
One of the reasons why I chose to be an artist is that I wish to fully honour how helpful it can be to have beautiful things to make, to use and to look at, and how essential it is in my life to be connected to nature and to myself. Be it for my yarn art or wall art, when receiving testimonials from people, I am always so pleased and honoured to hear how much my pieces enhance their quality of life and help them to rest, relax, and enjoy time to themselves or with loved ones, with peace, comfort and contentment. In this blog post I will talk about a few ways in which art can greatly contribute to enhancing our quality of life.
1. Offering Rest & Relaxation
Uplifting the mood, refreshing the mind and soothing the soul is something that is of such importance in our busy world. It can make a real difference having a nature-inspired piece of art to enjoy, a bubble of peace and quiet in which we can take a break and travel while we rest for a little while. Art can be a fantastic medium to create our own little cocoon, our own sancturay as unique as we are, an extension of ourselves where we can just be.
2. Connecting us to Ourselves
When we choose art, we ask ourselves some beautiful questions that can help us to know ourselves better and be more playful in our approach to daily life. We are invited to ask ourselves what we love best: "What kind of colours do I love? What kind of landscapes do I enjoy? Which is my favourite time of day and night? What is the atsmosphere that supports me best? What kind of weather makes me feel most aligned with my potential? Do I like huge works of art, tiny ones, or somewhere in between? What kind of materials do I love best? Do I love to look at art? Wear it? Use it?" Choosing art and enjoying it can be one of life's playful adventures and explorations!
3. Connecting us to Nature
For many of us, connection to nature is what allows us to unwind, recenter, and quietly admire the richness of the world. Nature-inspired art contributes by restoring us to our natural state of calm and resilience, allowing us to contemplate and celebrate the natural flow of light and colours through the days and seasons, providing us with our very own space filled with magic, wonder and warming joy, a direct window into the natural world.
4. Providing Inspiration
When we admire someone's artwork, we are inspired to be observant, receptive, creative, grateful. While the artwork offers us our very own space, it is also a beautiful opportunity to see life through someone else's eyes and to visit their own universe for a little while. Like picking up a great book can whisk us away to a completely different world without having to move an inch, admiring art is a beautiful way to travel and discover new adventures from home. Enjoying any form of art is also an open invitation to explore our own creativity.
5. Inviting us to Take Care, to Feel Safe and Secure
In my yarn art I specialise in making nature-inspired blankets which feel like the most loving hug, providing the recipient with the colours of nature in beautiful gradients that really meet the eye in a natural way, offering a lovely cocoon that drapes and protects, allowing the mind and body to rest and be soothed in perfect comfort. A stunning piece of usable art offers the best of both worlds, seeing, touching, admiring, resting, and it is such a natural and luxurious way to take care.
Art is a wonderful thing! As humans we are so fortunate to be able to make art, to appreciate it and to give it a great place in our lives, whatever lifestyle we choose, allowing it to inspire us and assist us in equal measure.