The Still Life: what inspires me to create….

Photo by Mary Skrynnikova on Unsplash

The Still Life painting has one of the longest histories of all painting styles.  You are bound to run into a still life painting in any museum you visit.  Whether it is painted representationally like the photo above or abstracted, they are always a real favorite of mine. 

One of the more interesting types of Still Life painting is called a vanitas.  Vanitas is a genre of still life painting that uses symbolic objects to show the transience of life and the inevitable occurrence of death.   Not always the most pleasant of subjects.  These still life paintings contain skulls, candles about to flicker out, hour glasses, wilted flowers or even dead animals.  Next time you go to a proper museum, I’m sure you will see a few of these works.  These symbols are also used to remind you to use your time wisely since it is fleeting.

I do find this subject in painting rather intriguing.  It makes me wonder about the time the artist put into the work, creating something that often has lovely and exquisite detail, certainly appearing to me like the artist was enjoying their time and their endeavor.  It’s such a dichotomy- creating something so beautiful and yet giving a message that it so unpopular.

But that’s life isn’t it?  Every day is filled with goodness and darkness, the beautiful and the ugly.  It makes me think of a quote that I’m going to paraphrase from a contemplative thinker, James Finely:

“Life gratuitously gives you good things and life gratuitously gives you difficult things. They come in equal measure.”

With this is mind and with the lesson of the vanitas fresh in my mind, I am led to gratitude.  When you practice a mind set of gratitude, you don’t have room for the fear of a reality that is unpredictable, giving good and bad in equal measure.  Instead, choosing to find moments, events, and blessings that you are grateful for, keeps you focused on the good.  It keeps you in the moment where you are alive, you are capable, you can see and appreciate beautiful things.

 Journal Prompt:

Take a moment to recognize who you are, where you are, and what you are able to do right now, this very moment.  Can you breathe, are you near someone who cares about you, are you able to acknowledge this?  In your journal, think of your life like a still life.  What would be on your table?  Remember that these things are fleeting and take a moment to feel grateful.

Can you draw or cut out on image from a magazine or print something that represents your life objects?  Add these things to the blank page in your journal.

 Do a quick sketch of that object in your Creativity Journal.

Hugs to you all
—Marilee

Buy my Creativity Journal on Amazon and fill your book with all ten projects! There is space for journaling, ideation and to create the final project. The QR code in the book links you to the journal so you can take it with you and be creative anywhere you go. You just need a pen, curiosity and joyful effort!!