When Exercise and Art come Together

I make art. I have another blog that is for artsy stuff and traveling around the northwest. As I was out on my walk today, I thought about how the two aspects of my life have been combined. I should walk to maintain my health, but it has a few other benefits as well

1. The first benefit is pretty obvious. Going outside allows me to visualize new paintings and collect new materials. I love this season. The air is cool. Early in the morning, the frost paints the trees and grasses with white. Ice forms on my car windshield in wonderful patterns. Dew hangs on the spider webs making them stand out against the foliage. The trees are dropping their leaves and seedpods. A cool crisp morning is a great inspiration.

2. Walking helps me clear my mind. I often get “stuck” when I’m painting or working on something. Leaving something behind, strapping on my tennis shoes and going for a walk gives my conscience mind a break. Sometimes great solutions come to me in the middle of the walk. Sometimes I come back to look at my work in progress and I see it in a new light.

3. Although my family is often around me while I’m working, I spend a lot of time alone. It’s easy to see things from a limited perspective (no pun intended) when you work alone. Going for a walk, especially in a different neighborhood, I sometimes stop and chat. The other day I met an older man who was raking leaves. He stopped me and started reminiscing about a street in Boston where he grew up. I was reminded that things have changed considerably since he was a child. People didn’t have TV or computers, so they socialized and chatted more. He obviously missed the camaraderie. I think I miss it too. Great artwork has emotional depth. Contact with people helps to develop compassion and understanding.

I’ve struggled with integrating my work with my healthy lifestyle changes. I have days where I just want to finish my most recent project. I’m slowly learning to set things aside to exercise for 30 to 45 minutes. When I truly enjoy my walk, I get the added benefit of improving my art.