Art, Culture, Nature
Thriving, Not Surviving: Thriving creates a pathway to joy & healing. Creative expression through art, culture & nature feeds the spirit by igniting a self-perpetuating learning experience. Reflect on your day & enhance it with activities that make you smile. Try sprinkling some art, culture & nature into everyday tasks. 1) Sketching on the bus or train, 2) Singing in the shower, 3) Making a traditional ethnic-specific recipe, 4) Reading about a friend’s culture, 5) Walk through a neighborhood park, 6) Add a plant to your workspace. What are you doing today that makes you thrive?
Art, Culture & Nature: Art, culture & nature activities are associated with positive impacts on the body’s ability to heal, recover, stay healthy, reduce pain, increase movement, decrease loneliness & strengthens our emotional ability to handle life’s challenges. Art, culture & nature activities provide more social opportunities to share with other like-minded people. Review your monthly, weekly & daily to-do-list and explore the power of art, culture & nature by adding such activities to your calendar. Whether it’s a drawing session, a visit to a museum/sculpture park, cooking a family favorite recipe or exploring a local park, including joyful activities to our lives help us to connect with others & the world around us.
The Art of Art: With an open definition of ‘art’, we have the opportunity to make anything that we do a form of art. Let’s call it the ‘Art of Something’. Adding “art” to anything we do allows us to combine enjoyment & learning into one concept. In doing so, we change our view of dealing with life struggles & problems. Thinking like an artist allows us to see problems in our lives as creative challenges to overcome. Develop the art of living by putting your health & happiness goals on a canvas and create the daily practice & discipline of making your life a beautiful masterpiece that you enjoy sharing with others.
Win-Win-Win: Connecting to art, culture & nature creates a win-win-win situation. First Win: The individual benefits as these types of activities are associated with reducing loneliness, isolation and symptoms of depression & anxiety. They, also, positively impact one’s well-being, attention, cognition & meaningful relationships. Second Win: Organizations involved in art, culture & nature benefit as their membership grows. In doing so, they are able to generate more activities and events. Third Win: The community benefits as more people start looking out for one another. Social barriers break down & we start to see one another as people who share common interests. What’s your win-win-win connection?
Your People: No matter what you like to do, there is a community out there that will support you. Get involved in any art, culture or nature group that enjoys what you are doing. Be broad in your thinking as it will help you to find your people, faster. And, don’t be shy. Your interest alone makes you good enough to join. Be confident & to state your level of expertise. ‘Your People’ will enjoy sharing what they know & will open your world to more art, cultures & nature activities to enjoy.
Go Art Yourself: No experience necessary. No skills required. Newbies welcomed. Sing these phrases in your head whenever you want to try something new. Expose yourself to a new interest by reading & learning about how to begin. Talent & skills are not required for you to start. You just need to be comfortable with starting at the beginning. Since art, culture & nature offer endless learning experiences, you only need a life-long learner mindset to succeed. Excite yourself by diving into something new or by exploring an interest from your youth. And, go have some fun.