A Different Kind of Art Project

What is art? Painting, drawing, sculpting, writing, making music, acting… and the list goes on. I’ll let you in on a secret. You can still be an artist without knowing how to turn a puddle of paint into a Mona Lisa or throwing notes on a page to create beautiful music. Art is about creation. Doodling chalk on the sidewalk with your kids is art. The combination of foods and flavors in cooking is art. Even telling someone a story can be art. You don’t have to be a published author or a well-known sculptor to be an artist. Art is a field open to anyone.

I consider myself an artist, and you won’t find my art hanging in a gallery or on the best sellers list. My kind of art involves writing and crafting. I love making something out of nothing. Whether it’s turning a blank page into a written story, or if it’s raiding the local craft store for new crafting ideas, I want to do it. My mom’s favorite story to embarrass me with involves my love for crafting.

When I was about seven years old we went to our high school’s semi-finals basketball game. It was held in this large arena with thousands of seats. Most people do all they can to avoid the piles of candy wrappers, used straws, empty drink cups, and other mysterious garbage on the floors, but not me. It sounds gross, and that’s exactly what my mom thought when she shrieked at me to stop playing on the ground. I protested and said, “But Mom, look!” Then I revealed a small bouquet of flowers made from straws and starburst wrappers. She was so amazed at my ability to turn garbage into art that she retells the story again and again. She always calls me her little artist, although I’m not so little anymore, and speaks of how she wishes she could do what I do.

I’ve got news for my mom and for those who feel the same way. You can be an artist too; you just need an idea or a vision that you can bring to life. For example, look out at your backyard or patio. That is an art project waiting to happen. Even if you have your outdoor area decorated and landscaped, you can always remodel what you have. This is a great project for the spring and summer. It gets your creative juices flowing, and it gets you outside and moving.

Gardening: A garden can be more than the tomato plant you got for your birthday that you’ve been struggling to keep alive. You can grow healthy foods like vegetables or you can create a beautiful flower garden in your own backyard. The process of choosing which plants to grow and where they will be placed is an art project in itself. And if you need help, that’s okay too. Most artists had a mentor or went to school to learn their craft, so you can utilize learning resources as well. The internet has thousands of ideas, and your local gardening store has attendants who can give you face-to-face advice.

Gardening is an art project, but it helps your life in more way than one. It gives you something to do outside, rather than watch reruns of shows you’ve seen a million times. Gardening is a non-traditional form of exercise that is more fun than the treadmill.

The creation doesn’t stop once you have your flowers and greenery planted. From there you can landscape and decorate your garden. Add a water fountain or create a seating area with outdoor furniture. Adding items such as these keeps your creative brain working, and makes your yard a sight to see.

Decorating Your Patio: How is decorating your patio an art project? The fact that you bring together a combination of patio chairs, tables, decorations, fire pits and anything else made for patios is a creative process. You have an idea in your head of what you want your patio to look like, and then you paint the picture by adding furniture, decorations, etc. You can create a tropical oasis with tiki torches and wicker furniture. Or you can turn your patio into a hummingbird garden by hanging flowers or floral paintings on the walls to attract your feathered friends. The possibilities are endless!

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to be an artist. If you need a project to do this summer, try redecorating your backyard or patio. All you need is an idea that you want to bring to life and the motivation to follow through with it. Creation doesn’t always mean you paint the painting. Perhaps you chose the painting as a single element of the greater picture that is your decorated outdoor space. Bringing all those plants or decorative elements together is creation and in turn is art. Put your creative caps on and make something beautiful this summer.