Do you ever wonder if there is more to you than you previously thought? It’s easy for us to get caught up in the day to day habits and rituals of our lives. It’s easy for us to get an idea of ourselves that suits our lifestyles and stick to it, however, there is more to you than you can possibly believe and the best way to understand yourself is to experiment with art.
The chances are you are already an artist. Everyone has a spark of creativity within them. When you were a child you would explore the world through your creativity and imagination, painting, drawing and creating worlds to play in. As a result, all adults have this creativity in them, lying dormant and waiting to be rediscovered.
Therefore, if you are looking to get out and meet new people why not try joining an art class? Is there something you’ve always wanted to try but never found the time or knew the people to do it with? Try having a look at our app. We have loads of local events that provide a range of new opportunities for you to try, explore yourself creatively and get to know other people just like you.
In August of 2020 the actor, Ethan Hawk presented a famous TED talk about permitting yourself to be creative and I really recommend that you go and watch it. It is brilliant. (I’ll link it at the bottom of this article). A key point he makes in the talk is that everyone feels this pressure to give the world something that is of quality and great import and he suggests that that instinct is the enemy of creativity. He quite rightly points out that it is completely out of our control as to what art people like and don’t like and so we should view creativity as “nature manifest in us”.
Just take a second to think about that. It’s an extension of our nature that we can share with the world. Well then, I suppose, the next question is what is one’s nature?
If someone asked you that question, say I came up to you in the street and asked you ‘What’s your nature?’… you’d probably cross the road to avoid me, but if you had to come up with a response to that question. How would you answer it?
It’s a tough one, ay! I suppose there is no one clear answer. We know the question is important. It’s almost a more primal way of asking, ‘well who am I?’ You probably couldn’t answer the question verbally but if I then took you to a space where you could paint, using any brush or colour in any style you like, your nature you could probably have a good crack at it. And if I brought you to that room once a week to do it you’d probably be able to do it more and more clearly each time. How fascinating it would be to know ourselves that deeply and be able to show it to others. How astonishing to see someone else’s art and glimpse pieces of their nature.
So if it’s been a while since you’ve last thrown yourself into a creative endeavour then I think doing an art class or getting in touch with your inner artist could be a great way for you to get to know your own nature better. It’s also a super fun way to make friends and meet new people. Try to have a look at our app. There may be a class near you!
Ethan Hawke TED Talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ethan_hawke_give_yourself_permission_to_be_creative
