Thursday, June 11, 2009

Is Life Art?

I have no clue which Ernst Fisher gave us this art quote of the day, but his words could have been my words:

“I don’t want life to imitate art. I want life to be art.”--Ernst Fischer

I believe there is an art to enjoying life. No one ever gets to live a fairytale life, for each of our lives is full of “curve balls” and every once in a while we are dealt a bad hand. I’ve come to realize that the secret to life is not in getting the right cards, or even the best cards, but it’s in how we play our hand.

A good poker player can beat three of a kind with a pair of deuces. I saw that happen once. And, I’ve heard a friend who lost their job tell me that he and his wife decided to take an evening stroll instead of their usual Friday night dinner at a fancy restaurant, and ended up having a wonderful time. They took lemons and artfully made lemonade.

Life is art, when we enjoy the people we love and the beauty that surrounds us. My life is living art when I take the time to sit with my husband at the edge of a lake, and we open our senses to the natural beauty that is before us just waiting to be noticed.


As we sit there, we soak in the beautiful changing colors of the sunset. The dazzling diamond like sparkles of light bouncing on the rippling water mesmerizes us. We are lulled into a relaxed peacefulness by the soft lapping sound of baby waves. A hint of pine from the forest just behind us fills our nostrils as we breathe in slowly and purposefully. We are caressed by the feathery touch of the gentle breeze. Two birds frolicking in the air just above our heads provide entertainment, and we giggle over the frog that has perched himself on a nearby log and watches us with curiosity. We share the secrets from our day intermittently with moments of intimate silence. We experience life as a taste of heaven and life becomes art.

Unfortunately we can’t stay at the edge of the lake forever. But we can continue to live our life in an artful way. A good artist uses their medium to create a piece of art that stirs our souls into seeing something in a new and appealing way. We become the artist of our lives when we not only look for beauty in every person and situation but when we open ourselves to really take in that beauty and experience it in a new way.

Please leave a comment about a time when you experienced life as art…

2 comments:

  1. I see life as art most days - All you have to do is go outside and watch the sunset or sunrise, or listen to the birds singing, or notice the trees and plants and flowers, or hear the ocean against the beach. There is always much art in our everyday lives - it's there for us to notice, appreciate, and be grateful for it.

    Nice article, Coco! :)

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  2. I just stopped by to let you know that you've gained a mention on my blog, Twisted Thicket Studio's - Mouse Trails. I've passed on an award to you for having a lovely blog. :) Congratulations!

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