Maybe it is loving yourself, or being with your family and friends. Or possibly, working with passion or advocating for peace work.
Whatever is your answer to the question, what matters most is that you can grasp with your fingers the handball of happiness. You can jump high across the byway of bliss.
Like from my experience, my joie de vivre (joy of living) comes from writing and painting.
Particularly, in my love for painting, I was affirmed by Harriet “Neh” H. Hormillosa when I attended the JATS (Journeying Through Adult Transitions) way back in 1999.
“Why, Malu, if you are inspired by the artist way, then, follow this vein of gold…” was her valuable insight.
Wow... yippee... ayay! Boosting my self-image, I soared on this encouragement to rise up like a balloon to the winds of colors. Amazing blue pastels, red swirling tints and comforting lilac shades sprang forth from the land of euphoria.
Danke (German), merci beaucoup (French), maraming salamat. Thanks to Neh and her empowering team, one small step pushed me to fulfill my yearning for the past 30 years…
Today
Opening my eyes in the golden dawn of September 2007, my heart sings with joy and beats in sync with the rhythm of painting.
Creating a drawing moves me to touch base with my feelings. In times of stress, I swish the blue paints across the blank sheet to express sadness. Conversely, during magical moments, I spread the green and olive hues all over the white paper. Mixing this with red roaring highlights, thenceforth, I feel energized to complete my daily schedule.
Paraiso (Paradise) is the state of my emotional being when I communicate my sadness or happiness. What a great gateway to open as I awaken the images, signs and icons of creativity.
Georgia O’Keefe
Famous Georgia O’Keefe who is a famous painter and an inspiration to all women artists said these words of alegria:
“I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught… I don't really know where I got my artist idea -- I only know that by that time it was definitely settled in my mind… I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at -- not copy it… I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me -- shapes and ideas so near to me -- so natural to my way of being and thinking that it hasn't occurred to me to put them down.”
Finale
Vamos! Come and let us link arms as we travel through the pathway of imagination. Let the budding artist inside you bloom in self-expression. Splash the rainbow colors, play with the crayons/acrylics/gouache materials.
Happiness through the visual arts is one of the dazzling gifts you can wrap for yourself.
(September 9, 2007 issue) Write letter to the editor. Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
