“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

—Pablo Picasso, 20th Century Spanish painter & sculptor

Image from Unsplash by Anna Kolosyuk

The world is in great pain and could use some healing. Hardly a day goes by without many examples of suffering and stress.

My coaching conversations almost always include personal issues as well as professional priorities. Among the many strategies to calm down and cope with the stressors, a good number of individuals are seeking and engaging in artful expression, to wash away the dust in their souls. Cooking and baking work nicely in the Demp household!

EXERCISE:

Please reply to this post with the artful strategies you use to brighten your days.

Consider discussing this topic with friends, family, and others to help realize a more beautiful and soulful life.

“Let each man exercise the art he knows.”

“Let each man exercise the art he knows.”

—Aristophanes, Ancient Greek Comic Playwright

The other day my wife and I were discussing a free app she has been using on her phone for over a year. Called Happy Color, it is a paint-by-color app with thousands of intricate designs and scenes to be completed.

When she completes an artistic effort, she often forwards it to friends and family or simply displays it in one of many digital albums.

A wonderful bonus of this artistic expression are the benefits her beautiful efforts have on her physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

EXERCISE:

What are some ways that you, too, express and exercise your own artistic talents?

How do your efforts benefit yourself and others in your personal and professional communities?

Please feel free to hit reply to this post and let me know about the art you exercise.

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.”

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.”

—Leonardo Da Vinci

Image from Unsplash by Gary Tresize

One of my clients is a master fisherman. Last year, he kindly took me out on his boat to share his joy and the artistry of his passion. Over the course of our six-hour adventure, he coached me to catch a single fish – meanwhile, through his mastery of the skill, he brought in many.

Think of the times in your life you experienced a sense of flow, or a feeling of complete engagement.

Examine your personal and professional worlds for examples of times in which there is great satisfaction in the doing, and significant anticipation of upcoming activities.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you more fully engage your spirit in your personal and professional pursuits? How might this bring you a more beautiful and artistic life?

The purpose of Art

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off of our souls.”

—Pablo Picasso, 20th Century Spanish Painter

Image of a dusty ceiling fan

Image from Tripadvisor

Some weeks ago, a close friend came over to help me repair a ceiling fan. Given my limited handiness and my desire to not electrocute myself, I reached out for some coaching on the matter.

Beyond the repair, I was a bit embarrassed by the amount of dust that had accumulated on the blades and bulbs.

Unless cleaning your house from top to bottom brings you joy and you do it often, dust is bound to accumulate. In the same way, if we neglect our inner world, our souls can get a bit dusty as well.

Although most of us would not see ourselves as a Picasso, we all have an artist within us that can help wash off the dust of daily life.

One of my favorite art forms is cooking. Various foods and seasonings represent the spectrum of flavors for each meal.

EXERCISE:

Please reply to this post with your own form of artistic expression that helps you dust off your soul to lead a more beautiful life.

Friday Review Art

FRIDAY REVIEW: ART

What role does art play in your life? Here are a few art-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the messages.

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”

 

 

 

 

“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.”

 

 

 

 

“All the arts are apprenticeship. The big art is our life.”

 

 

 

 

The Big Art is Our Life

“All the arts are apprenticeship. The big art is our life.”

—Mary Caroline Richards, 19th Century American Poet & Potter

Image of a potters wheel

Image from Flickr by pax-h2o

Do you live to work or work to live? Regardless of how you answer the question, it is clear that we spend a pretty high percentage of our lives engaged in our work.

How many different jobs have you had so far in your life? Many of my coaching clients have multi-page resumes, often including five, ten, or more positions. Quite often, one reason they hire me is to support a transition in their professional life.

They almost always simultaneously seek to live more artfully and include a high degree of focus and effort in their personal lives.

EXERCISE:

What artistic efforts are most appropriate at this point in your life? What would make it a more beautiful masterpiece?

#104: “Rules and models destroy genius and art.”

– William Hazlitt, writer

Many historic thinkers have explored left-brain versus right-brain thinking. Modern-day thinkers often refer to the concept of linear or analytical thinking versus quantum or non-linear thought.

Whatever you call the two types, they are both highly useful and have their place in making the world work. As a business coach, I see many great examples where procedures and systems increase profits. Six Sigma, Kaizen and other quality initiatives are widely used in organizations today.

Yet when we overuse procedures to manage the abilities of people, we often diminish their ability to act, think and create.

Exercise:

Where do rules in your professional and personal life serve you well, and where do they limit your creativity and genius?

How will you find the right balance?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#103: “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”

– John Ruskin, artist and art critic

We have all heard the quote, “When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” A by-product of this mixture of love and work is mastery, due to the amount of practice we experience over time.

Think about famous artists, top athletes, and great entertainers as examples of this synergistic combination.

Exercise:

What are your greatest skills, where you lose yourself in love?

It would be wonderful if these included your vocation. They may be hobbies or similar avocations – and hopefully, they can include building extraordinary relationships, in all areas of life.

What masterpieces have you built to this point and what future works of art are on the way?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.