I’ve never written a blog before. I’ve never believed I had anything to say that hasn’t already been said. It’s not that my life has been uneventful or devoid of interesting people. I’ve had a great life, nothing extraordinary, just an ordinary great life. Though I say that now, I wasn’t always able to recognise it for what it was. Hard times can do that to just about anyone. We lose perspective.

In my case, I developed memory problems earlier than most people do. It ended my career and began a long period of what I can only describe as darkness. But with great medical care and the support of a loving family, I got through the worst of it. My memory wasn’t as good as it once was, but I could get by. It’s really too bad that I didn’t appreciate how fortunate I was at that point. Instead, I focused on what I had lost rather than what I still had.

But then I took up photography, and that has made all the difference. It started as I was taking lots of pictures as a way to remember things better. Not just special things, but ordinary ones, too. I didn’t start out with an interest in photography itself, but as I learned to use the camera, I began to see nature and people like never before. The world seems more beautiful to me now. I’m finding happiness in everyday life, just as it is, rather than chasing after it with the words, “if only”.

I’ve always admired artistic people who could draw, paint or sculpt beautifully. Same with performance artists who can hold us spellbound with their singing, dancing or acting. Such people are held in high regard because not everyone can do what they do. We attribute their abilities to being gifted, but of course the best ones became that way with lots of study and hard work, too.

When you think about it, artistic people thrive in many vocations outside the conventional art world. They style hair, design clothes, rebuild engines, construct houses, negotiate business deals, etc.. Whatever the industry, we appreciate those who combine skills with creativity. We say, “That person is an artist”.

But what about us ordinary people? Why are some folks gifted with creativity and others not? Well, that is the wrong question to ask. We ask it, though, because in today’s electronic media world we are constantly exposed to videos and recordings of world class human accomplishments. Compared to that, we feel, well, ordinary. But consider the stars in the night sky. Some are brighter than the rest, but they’re all stars. As human beings, we are all gifted with creativity and are all artists. That’s why we appreciate these traits so much when we see them expressed in others.

Finding my creativity with photography saved me. Something about the creative process frees the mind to let go of negative thoughts and feelings.

Art Therapy is a wonderful form of mental health care that helps people suffering from many psychological problems. People can benefit from art therapy whether or not they consider themselves artistic.

“Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being.”

American Art Therapy Association:

Art Therapists are at least masters-level mental health providers. Here is a link to the American Art Therapy Association:

https://www.arttherapy.org/upload/aatafactsheet.pdf

Peace,
Randy