Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life.
Pablo Picasso
I once had a rubber stamp with this quote on it. It might still be buried somewhere. We definitely got a lot of milage out of that one.
However, as much as I liked to tout the importance of art to keep things vibrant and fresh…I don’t think I really understood the full meaning of the quote until today.
I always took the quote to mean the consumption of art. That by looking at, listening to, or experiencing great art from great artists, my soul would be cleansed. I would come home refreshed and invigorated. Ready to tackle the mundane business of laundry, dishes, diapers, and all-the-things.
Of course means it has to be an excursion, right? I have to go to a great temple of art like LACMA or even the local temple of RAM. I need to view, pause, breathe. Then somehow in the stillness of those white walls and climate controlled environment, I will be liberated from the everyday.
But who has time for that?
Don’t get me wrong, I love an excursion to be inspired by what others are doing. There is something magical in those all-encompassing spaces.
But I LIVE in the everyday. I am learning that leaving the dusting for six months just means you live in the dirt. And man-oh-man, the more you let it settle the harder it is to wash away.
This is where I realized I got this quote wrong. I don’t think art consumption is what cleans our souls. I think it is art creation. And it doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to go on a canvas or get hung up. Think of a child who draws fifteen pictures for their refrigerator because they love to draw. I think that is the type of art that washes your soul on the daily.
It took a morning of overwhelm, frustration, and the decision to go in my studio rather than check out in front of the TV for the epiphany to strike. Within a few small strokes of my pen on paper, I was already feeling more calm. More in time with myself. More clean.
I don’t know what it would look like for you to make some art on the regular. I don’t know what it looks like for me to be honest. I think the first step is reaching for a pen rather than a remote.
I do hope we can figure it out though. That we can be people who aren’t living in the dust storms of the mundane. Rather, that we can be people who have been washed clean to focus in the bigger perspective.
Adventure on.
Jess Boctor 