Creativity
An article about the benefits of being creative, and my personal road to creativity
Creativity can be good for you. It provides a means to channel expressive emotions. Art
can make people happy. When they see a piece they think is beautiful they experience
a release of feel good hormones. Creativity is important to remaining healthy, reducing
stress, improving mood and can affect how your brain works.
Creativity transforms your life in countless ways . It can improve problem solving by
training the brain to adapt to new ideas, improving your cognitive flexibility. Art opens
the mind to see things differently. Creativity is a good outlet to manage stress and
anxiety. The experience of being creative can literally take you away, as you lose
yourself in the creative process. It will increase self awareness as you begin to discover
more about yourself, your abilities, thoughts and emotions. Through self expression and
engagement you will boost confidence and learn to express yourself in new ways, as
well as connecting with others.
The benefits of creativity are worth the investment so start to acknowledge the ways you
are creative and then foster new avenues to explore your personal path to a creative
and healthy lifestyle.
When I was very young I watched my Dad draw and paint. I thought his art was
amazing. But he was a perfectionist and often crumpled up his art piece and threw it
away, as he was never satisfied with his work. I didn’t understand and it broke my heart
to watch him destroy what he had just created. I thought each drawing was beautiful.
Later in my life when I began to engage in drawing, I would often think of Dad’s
response to his art and it made me doubt my talent. But over time, I came to trust my
ability, seeing it as a gift worthy to express and I began to love every opportunity to draw
and paint. With a desire to learn and grow.
At 17 years of age, I was assigned an art project in my last year of high school. The
assignment was to do a self portrait in charcoal. I took the paper and pencils home and
found a quiet secluded area in my Kenmore home to begin.
I created it and handed it in the next day. My art teacher entered it into a contest with
an opportunity to get some scholarship assistance and I got it. This started me on my
path to creativity and I've been painting for over 50 years. I dabbled in ink, china
painting and oil only to finally end up as a watercolor artist.
In the early 90’s I displayed a piece at a gallery show in Tonawanda and a local
watercolor artist took note. His name was Dr Roger Lalli, the creator of the incredible
Buffalo My City series. He asked if I would like to watch him paint. I accepted the
invitation and through his mentorship I became more proficient in a tight dry brush style,
one he had perfected and a way to paint that appealed to me.
About 5 years ago, I decided to focus my work on pet portraits and began to learn the
necessary techniques. Because I love dogs so much, it was a delightful journey. I began
with a few dogs to learn and flush out my process. I learned from the first few portraits. I
wanted to capture the individual look of each face, not just paint the breed but the soul
of each animal. The spirit of each pet lies in their eyes. That's where I start each work.
To date I've completed over 500 portraits. I love every pet's face and have to pinch
myself when I get to recreate the pet on paper with paint. It’s a delightful experience but
not always easy. So much thought and care is put into each brush stroke.
I lost a pet suddenly a few years back and I personally cherish the watercolor that I did
to memorialize her. I wake up to her beautiful face and memory every morning when i
see the painting.
About 50 percent of my work is done on pets who have passed, the rest are thoughtful
gifts for loved ones. Watercolor paint on paper is a beautiful way to capture a realistic
image of a beautiful pet. It is a great thrill to see the face of the pet surface from the
white paper and begin to jump off the paper with life.
Be creative your own way. It is a great outlet and stress reliever!
Doodle, paint, sew, cook, decorate, cut hair, manage work related tasks -whatever you
choose, do it in your way. Your way is the right way!