Is art a luxury?

Holiday Greetings!I send you a big ol' musical hug to hold you. Most of us are growing weary of sheltering in place, and uncertainty. Whatever is happening in your life, know that you matter and are loved!



IS ART A LUXURY?So many of us have been in places/spaces in our lives where survival issues were at the forefront of our reality, and that’s real. If your survival is threatened, or you perceive it is, and you feel fear or anxiety, the focus is narrowed.
We are neurologically hard wired to do this in order to survive.
I have been there, and what I learned is that often these conditions don’t allow for new information to enter. We have to create and sometimes re-create new conditions for new information to enter.
It takes a commitment to our well-being to carve out that space no matter what. Some days, the commitment might be 5 minutes. It counts because your body believes what you DO, not just what
you SAY.
In that space of pause and quietude, possibilities and solutions arise from beyond the mind.
The same is true for creative practices. Specifically, when they are somatically inclined, the energy of the body and mind have the opportunity to shift.
It may seem unwise to invest in a creative practice when our government is in chaos, you have lost work, the kids are home, a family member is ill, and innocent people are dying each day. I want you to know that I completely recognize the truth of that reality, and I hold it all with caring and respect for the challenges that it brings.
AND
I have come to find that if I sing, write, paint, dance, improvise, play, meditate, quilt, design, draw, quilt, wander…whatever it is, I am literally changing my neurology by shifting the focus of my attention to that which is NOURISHING.
But why singing specifically?


BecauseTHIS!
I propose that you PAUSE. See if you can turn off the technology, close your eyes, breathe, let your mind wander, and allow yourself to move or sound. What comes through you is not just trivial, within are contained the answers to your life and new approaches to any obstacle.
When we engage in self-expression practices, make things with our hands or bodies, allow the written word to come through us,
WE ARE SAYING YES TO LIFE!and YOU are ALIVE my friend!
We are all doing the best we can to find moments of contentment and even joy - it would be my honor to support you in doing so.
May the voice be with you,
Renée