I Am Not Artistic. And It’s Okay!

When people think of art, they usually think of visual art like painting or drawing or sculpture. And some may immediately follow that thought with, “I am not artistic”. Or “I am not a creative person.”

I imagine that if you were completely against the idea of art, you’re probably not at this website anymore. But those who are still here are perhaps connecting to the grief portion of the site. So, I can talk further about comfort through creativity and how it’s okay if you’re not an artist.

If you are one those people who are open to the idea but at the same time are thinking that you can’t even draw a stick…well, I’d like to clarify that art is not just painting or drawing or sculpture. It can take on many forms and types and I’m betting that you likely do one of them already.

Below, I’m going to list some categories that I consider to be examples of art and expression. I’m hoping that you see something here and realize that you already do one of these things and enjoy it. Or you see something you’d like to do and enjoy it. If not, don’t limit yourself to this list if you think of something else. Art is not just one thing or some things. I like to think of it as something that is result of human self expression and that can take on many, many forms.

Writing

There are lot of people who connect better with words than they do with imagery. Sometimes, visual art is something that has to be interpreted or explained, especially if it’s something abstract. And some people would rather not intrepret anything or try to think of a picture that only represents what they are thinking or feeling. They might want to just be upfront and use words to get right to the point.

For example, if you were feeling sad and used an image to represent that, you could choose a number of things. You could choose teary eyes or a shipwreck on a stormy beach. Some images, like the teary eyes, might be obvious when conveying sadness. But some people might look at a shipwreck and a storm as disaster, rage or ruin. Not just sadness.

People who connect better with actual words might like to just say, “I am sad.” There’s no interpretation there. You said you were sad, so you must mean sadness. No one will think, hey, maybe they really meant anger or embarrassment. Nope, sad.

So, here’s where writing can be a better art form for emotional expression. I love books and I love to read and I love to write. And there are many ways to do this:

• Journaling
• Stories
• Poetry
• Songwriting (see the “Music” category below, too)

This reminds me of my grandmother and how she did not connect with visual art unless it was obvious what it was about. Things like landscapes and portraits were examples of things that she liked. Show her anything that was abstract or fantasy, and she wasn’t having any of it. She would get so baffled at times when it came to abstract art that it would make me laugh. I used to like to send her museum postcards with abstract paintings on them just to see what she’d say. She’d call me up laughing and say, “I know you sent me this!” Gosh, I sure miss her.

But anyway, writing is a way to bypass imagery and get straight to the heart of something. Something like grief. Words can make us understand ourselves even better once we write it all down. I have kept a journal almost my entire life and if something is bothering me, I can write it all out and sometimes find the roots behind the reason why something bothered me as much as it did. Sometimes I can write stories and by watching the characters move through certain emotions and actions, I learn the same thing.

Photography

Photography is one aspect of art that anyone can do and enjoy. And it’s super popular because of this. It’s simple and it can be much more easy to do in this time period because of our access to cell phones and the ability to be able to snap any picture at all pretty much on the spot.

Even if you didn’t like taking pictures or couldn’t find the exact picture you want to take a picture of, that’s no problem either because we have the internet where zillions of photos from anywhere and everywhere are right there at our fingertips. Want a picture of a deserted tropical island? Or the Sahara? Or Greenland? How about Antartica? Just type any of those into Google and boom, there it is, right? You don’t have to go anywhere to go all over the world.

Then, there’s the ability to alter and photoshop photos to make them look the way you imagine. Maybe you want the grass to look more green or the sky to look more blue. Maybe you want to add in a rainbow. Whatever it is, if you have a computer and the internet, these things are possible. So, photography is a great way to explore your artistic and creative side without worrying about a whole lot of materials. Just you and your phone will do.

Crafts

Oh my gosh, the list of crafts you can do is ENDLESS. Almost every person I’ve ever come across does some kind of craft, usually as a relaxing little hobby. Here are some examples:

• Sewing/quilting
• Cross stitch
• Knitting
• Crochet
• Macrame
• Art Journaling
• Rock painting
• Woodworking or wood carving
• Latch Hook
• Candlemaking
• Soapmaking
• Embroidery
• Beading
• Bookbinding
• Calligraphy (this could fit up there with writing)
• Scrapbooking
• Mosaics

There are even more. Like I said, the list of crafts are endless but I often babble endlessly when it comes to art so I’m going to make myself stop before I overwhelm you completely. There are many crafts on this list that I do for my own personal enjoyment and that will show up on this site from time to time. I like to do knitting, crochet and art journaling. I also enjoy sewing. I have done cross stitch, rock painting and mosaics as well. Crafts can be a really fun and relaxing way to do something small without too much committment, just so long as you’re not attempting a king sized quilt or a crocheting your first afghan. But something like calligraphy or rock painting might be a great way to start off a craft and not too intimidating.

Also, the great things about crafts is that so many of them are available in kits. Kits usually come as a ready made project with detailed instructions so you don’t have to worry about starting, especially if it’s your first time trying something. I taught myself to knit, crochet and latch hook through kits. It can be extremely relieving as well as meditative to have something just tell you what to do rather than you trying to figure it out on your own. You can usually find kits for all kinds of crafts in places like Michaels, Joann Fabrics, and of course, Amazon.

Music

Almost anyone can find comfort in music. Although, right when I wrote that, I was reminded of an episode of The Big Bang Theory when the character, Raj, was first dating the woman his family had wanted to arrange a marriage with. And she confessed to him that she didn’t really like music. When he asked her what kind, she just replied, “Like, all of it.” So, if this happens to be you too, just skip this section.

Even if you do like music, your tastes can change over time. And grief is very good at doing this to you. In fact, I have a future post in mind for this very subject because this is what happened to me. What you may have liked listening to before your loss may not be what you need or want to hear afterwards. Songs hold memories, the same way that food and certain smells do. You hear something, smell something, and it can bring back an entire host of memories accompanied by emotion, which can be good or bad (sometimes both). So just listening to music can be a form of art that also tells you about yourself.

Other ways to use music as a grief soother is to learn an instrument or do a litle song writing. A lot of people have always wanted to learn an instrument at some point in their lives. If you are one those people, this could possibly be the time to do that.

Dance

Like crafts, there are so many types of dance:

• Modern
• Contemporary
• Ballet
• Hip Hop
• Tap
• Jazz
• Salsa
• Belly Dance

Naturally, there are more than what I’ve listed here. Dance can be excellent in dealing with grief because it’s very distracting. I have taken Adult Ballet workshops before as part of my quests for grief distraction (and just to learn something new) and because you are so busy trying to learn and follow the steps, you don’t think as much about other stuff. If you are like me and are questing for distraction and a desire to move, then finding a dance workshop may help you as well. Not to mention the added benefit of exercise.

I’d also like to include ice skating in here. They do a lot of dance moves on the ice. I started taking adult ice skating alongside ballet and then ended up dropping ballet to concentrate more on the ice skating. I’m actually still in it because it is fulfilling something in me. Even when just learning it, when you’re not exactly dancing, it has the effect of feeling like dancing because of the way you glide everywhere. And because of how much concentration you need to have on the ice, it’s good at driving out the shadows for awhile.

Cooking

Cooking often does to me what cleaning does, as I mention in this post here. Cooking is usually something we do every day out of necessity so sometimes viewing it as an art form is not forefront in our minds. Cooking as an art form seems more akin to cooking shows on television (for example, the show, Is It Cake?, comes immediately to mind for me) or as an actual chef in a restaurant. Throwing together a casserole at the end of the day hardly seems artistically stimulating.

But, a lot of people get a great deal of joy out of cooking. And I think part of the reason is due to what I mention in my cleaning post. It’s a feeling of accomplishment as well as sustenance. You set out to do this everyday thing and usually, by following a recipe, you get exactly what it is you meant to get. Well, hopefully, anyway. If you add this and that and mix and bake as directed, you stand an excellent chance of receiving something beneficial and rewarding for all of your efforts. This is satisfying, even if you’re not all that into cooking. It gives you control over something and usually, a reward at the end. It’s a reward that can be enjoyed by both you and your family and friends. One of my favorite things to do is just making cookies. There’s a billion different recipes for cookies. They’re usually easy and quick. And everyone enjoys them. Even if you don’t want to eat them yourself, there’s usually plenty of other people who will.

Cooking can be a touchy subject when it comes to grief. If we had a spouse to cook for or they were the cook, this may not be a comforting art form. For example, I still don’t like to go to the grocery store and there are some recipes that I avoid because they were my late husband’s favorites. There’s also some foods that I connect with my mother and grandmother that I have trouble with. However, sometimes, we can have the opposite reaction and need to make those very things in order to feel close to the ones we lost. You’ll know somewhere in your heart which one is you.

Gardening

Gardening seems to be one of those things where you either love it or you don’t. The people who love it usually find it extremely therapeutic. But I’m sorry to say that gardening is not a personal strength of mine. I have tried it many times but ultimately, I seem to be a plant killer. I think I also get frustrated with gardening because unlike cooking or cleaning, I can’t be sure of the end result. I want to know that when I plant something, then that thing is going to grow and grow perfectly. But with plants, I have found that I can sometimes do everything right and it still doesn’t work out. That bothers me enormously so I tend to avoid a whole lot of gardening.

But before you think I’m being way too negative or that I may think I may be doing it right, I want to add that I did find ONE thing in this category that did work for me. Buying those little indoor hydroponic gardens is the only way I have been able to enjoy some form of real gardening. It’s like a gardening kit. And if you follow everything, it almost always works out. Oh sure, there may be one or two plants that flake out in the bunch but most of the time, you get exactly what you set out to do. In fact, once cherry tomatoes nearly took over our kitchen using one of these indoor gardens.

Oh, and making rock gardens works for me, too. You don’t have to worry about rocks dying and you can paint them, too.

Yoga (and exercise)

Yoga has kind of a special place in my soul because it was the one form of exercise I was able to do while being a caregiver for my late husband and taking care of four small children. Because I had to be inside at home or at the hospital or doctor’s offices all of the time, even doing simple things like taking a short walk was out of the question. In an effort to take the edge off the ever growing stress and turmoil, I started yoga in 2012 using yoga focused websites and YouTube. Early in the morning or when everyone was down for a nap, I could squeeze in at least 10-20 minutes of yoga. And I continue to do it even now. One of my favorite apps to use is Down Dog. With this app, you can customize your practice more, down to the type of yoga, the voice guiding you, and the music. Yoga has a way of calming down the mind. I always felt just a little bit better afterwards. Again, it’s also a feeling of accomplishment. I set out to do certain poses and when I succeed, that also makes me feel a sense of control, especially in an enviornment in which I didn’t have any.

But yoga is not just super bendy pretzel poses. Yoga practices that may be especially beneficial for grief are the ones labeled as Restorative and Yin. Those concentrate on holding stretches, usually on the floor with no standing, and simply breathing. They are simple but powerful. I just found it to be soothing for my inner turmoil.

Besides yoga, a lot of other forms of exercise can be included. For example, some people find martial arts to be fulfilling for an emotion like grief. There’s also meditation, which while quieter, can be very consoling.

But like anything, you’ll have to experiment and find out what works best for you. Some stuff, you probably know right away whether it’ll work or not. Not all people find yoga or meditation beneficial. If you find that it just irritates you rather than comforts, then try something else. And over time, what works best may change as YOU change. Just be careful with any exercise or meditation you may attempt and see a medical professional for more advice for what’s right for your body.

So Are You Still Not Artistic?

I’m hoping that after this list, you might be thinking that there is more to art after all. As I mentioned above, the word “art” usually brings up the idea of needing to know how to draw or being familiar with some sort of color theory. I can weave that type of thing into various activities here but hopefully, in a way that non artsy visitors won’t find intimidating.

But overall, this list is just a way to introduce the many types of expression available to you. And it’s certainly not set in stone. If you have thought of something else, maybe even something you do now that helps you, please let everyone know in the comments below!