Finding Joy in Art

Now that the semester has come to an end, I suddenly have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I decided to get crafty.

In a previous blog post (Preserving Your Creativity: A Challenge), I mentioned my love for art in high school and my involvement in the arts academy for three years. I challenged myself and my readers to spend at least 30 minutes each day doing something creative, as a means of surviving quarantine and taking time for healthy self-care. The goal of the exercise, at least for me, was to train my mind to prioritize creative expression.

I kept up with this challenge for a little over two weeks before preparation for final exams became a new priority, and mental exhaustion consumed my ability to remember to be creative. If you kept up with it, I am impressed. My brain just could not juggle academics and work and sorting out clubs and taking care of myself with art, so I found myself back to square one, searching for a quarantine hobby that would bring me joy.

As I mentioned before, living at home resulted in me being in a weird complex psychologically: College Meag and High School Meag are two very different people. In high school, I was an arts student, and while I still worked hard in school, outside of the classroom I was unmotivated and not super social. In college, I am involved over my head most of the time, seek social connections both inside and outside the classroom, and enjoy the thrill of juggling multiple responsibilities at a time.

Here is where it gets a bit ridiculous, so stick with me.

A few weeks ago, One Direction hinted at a brief reunion later this year. Back in the day, High School Meag owned as much merchandise as her poor mother could afford, plastered her walls with posters to hide the purple paint, and listened to their albums on repeat. College Meag has moved on (a little) and listens to them as solo artists; Harry Styles’s Fine Line album has been on a loop since December 13th.

Now, picture this:

My mom is unemployed at the moment, and I suddenly completed all of my school work for the year. The two of us sit at the table, my mom making progress on her paint-by-numbers canvas, while I section off a canvas with painters tape. Floating from the speaker in the center of our work space is none other than every single One Direction song on a loop for hours. Friends, that means every day this past week, my mom and I listened to (and enjoyed) the same 84 songs by 1D over and over again. Personally, I could do this all summer.

On top of this excessively fantastic loop of One Direction songs, I save my favorite Harry Styles album for car rides to get out of the house. And for any time I spend on my laptop. And for doing chores in my room. And for when I fall asleep at night.

It’s a lot - so much that it’s even taking over this blog post.

Back to the point: I spent hours upon hours doing something creative every single day this past week. I tried a variety of mediums, including acrylic paint, watercolor, micron pens, and a needle and thread. Here’s a quick breakdown of what I did in the last 7 days:

On Friday last week, I painted my nails funky the way I used to, adding little cherries to an accent nail (cherries being a reference to a Harry Styles song).

On Saturday night, I began sketching some ideas I had. I sketched two possible layouts if I were to rearrange my room, then I drew a rough draft of something I thought of for a painting.

On Sunday, I sectioned off a canvas with painter’s tape and began working on bringing the idea to life with acrylic paint.

On Monday, I added finishing touches and completed the canvas that illustrates every song on Harry Styles’s Fine Line album (I know, I know, it's a lot).

On Tuesday, I started fresh and channeled my inner Bob Ross to paint a few landscapes on small sheets of watercolor paper.

On Wednesday, I got back to my old hobby of Zentangle doodles.

Yesterday, I attempted embroidery by stitching a butterfly (okay, Harry Styles’s butterfly tattoo) onto a shirt I never wear (re-purpose your clothes!). Personally, I would consider it successful since I am currently wearing the shirt as I write this.

Aside from the fact that most of the work I did this week is related to Harry Styles or One Direction in some way, shape, or form, I enjoyed getting back to my artistic roots. In high school, I stressed constantly over achieving perfection, and it impacted some of the artwork I created. Having been in a program for years that required me to be creative for a course grade, art felt like a chore at times. Because of this, creativity was not a priority for me when I entered college. The most I ever did was paint my nails and have paint night once with my roommates.

That being said, my creative process this week felt different. I embraced every artistic choice I made, and when I really didn’t like something, I made the most of the mistake by adjusting what I could. I experimented when mixing colors and slapped them on the canvas before I was certain it was the perfect ratio of red to blue to yellow. I felt at ease.

I am trying to limit my judgement in more areas of my life as well. If dressing up on rainy days even if I know I can’t go anywhere lifts my spirits, that is what I need to do. If drinking iced coffee that has a little too much cream and caramel syrup puts me in a positive mood, I should drink it. If dedicating all of my time and energy to the music artists I like makes me smile, then that’s what I will do. If art brings me joy, I’ll spend my time creating art.

In short, I am doing what makes me happy.

I encourage everyone to do the same.