Make Biscuits, Not War

Make art everyday, any way you can.

Work on your novel.  Or poem, essay, short story, play, screenplay.  Or a painting, song, sculpture.  film, photograph.  Most of all, expand your notion of what art is.  Anything that is made with care can be art, too.  The art is what goes into it almost as much as what comes out.  The art is in the making as much as the end product.  So if you can't put your energies to that novel today, keep your creative juices flowing by making art in your own way.

Bake homemade biscuits.  Plant tomatoes.  Hoe your garden.  Make a pie (give it to a neighbor).  Read a book to a child (performance art).  Walk in the woods and make an art of observation.  Have a dance party in your living room.  When my daughters were little, we did this almost every night and those are some of my best memories.  Develop all those pictures that are stored on your laptop and make a photo album that you can actually show to people.  Find a recipe you always wanted to make, go to the store and buy all the ingredients, and do it.  Get your mother to teach you how to make those aforementioned biscuits.  Cut flowers from your yard and make arrangements throughout your house.  Change the oil in your car.  Build that deck you've been wanting.  Rearrange your porch furniture.  Rearrange your bedroom furniture.  Organize your tool shed.

My point, of course, is that we must stay creative.  We must never become those people who just come in from a long day of work and plop down in front of the television or computer to numb ourselves for hours.  Okay, sometimes plopping down in front of the television for a numbing session is required, but it should definitely be the exception and not the rule...and I know plenty of folks for whom it is the rule.  For God's sake, put away your damn cell phone for awhile (unless you're using it to create a film or a song or a photograph or a blog, but put it away for awhile after you've done that.  Your hands need to be free).  Keep your mind working,  churning, turning.

I've made my point.  Now I'm going to eat those biscuits.


Comments

Cumberland County Public Library said…
...or unless you're reading Silas House's blog.

Thank you for this accessible understanding of "art." This post inspired me, gave credence to the "piddle projects" that I enjoy so very much...and just plain made me happy.
May 17, 2013 at 8:08 AM
fishscribe said…
Pass the biscuits...and the butter...and the local honey!!!
May 17, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Unknown said…
Excellent ideas for what I can do this rainy weekend!
May 17, 2013 at 9:38 AM
Anonymous said…
Good advice. My pastor has an art room for us to place our paintings, poems, etc. Sort of a "art is a religious experience too" kind of place. It's very cool. -Eva W.
May 22, 2013 at 8:44 AM
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