November is a bit of a calm before the chaos of the holidays. Time to stop and reflect on what you are grateful for. Time to make a point of talking about what you are thankful for and blessing others who you are grateful for! One of the many reasons to love art is that by nature it helps you focus on gratitude. (Grab my free 30 days of thankful journal page here) Here’s how . . .
Art makes beauty a focal point
An artist creates to bring a unique vision of a specific moment or feeling to life. It doesn’t have deep or dark feelings to be helpful. A painting can serve a wonderful purpose by bringing beauty and peace and joy into focus. This is what I work to do with my paintings. Taking a moment to fill your soul and mind with something beautiful rather than the stress and chaos of everyday life can put you in the restful state of mind to “count your blessings” and be thankful instead of worry!
Art makes you stop and think
Above I pointed out that a piece of art is something beautiful to catch your eye and help change your mood. Now I’ll point out that an image you connect with will make you stop and think. Even without realizing it, you’ll be considering why a painting caught your eye and what it makes you feel. For me this generally looks like “Oooh I love blue” or “Wow, I want to go for a walk in those woods.” Something makes you want to connect with the artwork more. Once a piece of art catches your eye with it’s appeal and makes you stop and start pondering it, a few other things can happen . . .
Art brings up good memories
Nostalgia. There’s a reason facebook brings up our memories and people love scrolling through old pictures. It feels so good to savor favorite memories! Art does this in different ways too.
Maybe the flowers remind you of your summer garden, or a family member who loved their garden. People love my monarch paintings because it reminds them of their butterfly gardens! Maybe the scene looks like a favorite vacation memory. Maybe it’s a favorite dessert associated with fond memories of celebrations.
We have a painting I made of the sunset on a night that was special to our family and it brings back happy memories every time I look at it! Whatever it is that you connect with, art that brings to mind good memories will naturally lead you to feeling thankful for those good times.
Art gives a fresh perspective
Another thing art does is gives you a new perspective on life. I love when a painting or photo uses unexpected colors, unique angles or, or subjects presented differently to make me stop and reconsider how I might otherwise have just glossed right over their subject matter had I not seen their piece of art.
I enjoy trying to do this by taking everyday common subjects like flowers or wildlife, or things like food that we use to celebrate and making them the main focus for viewers. Blending colors to make surprising texture or adding in unique pops of color for shadows can also grab your attention in a fun way.
Take advantage of looking at something through another person’s eyes and you just might be surprised by emotions inspired by a fresh perspective.
Art makes it easy to share what you are thankful for
Does something in a piece of art resonate with you and make you want to share it with friends and family? Great; that’s what art is for! Whether it’s sharing a link or freebie, buying an art greeting card, or buying a print/original, sharing what you are thankful for through art is the perfect way to show your friends and family you care about them. Art helps people connect by creating conversations about the feelings and memories it stirs up, and is a great way to share what you are thankful for this season. Check out my shop for fun, inexpensive options to share a bit of beauty with your friends and family! shop here
