Life as a painting

Picture yourself in an artists studio. A blank canvas in front of you. Now imagine something on the canvas that makes you feel uplifted, happy. It could be literally anything, a picture, an abstract pattern, maybe painted, maybe black and white, realistic, fantasy, dark, bright, there are no limits. Only that it makes you feel good. No one else will see your image, so there is no fear of you being judged.

Every human will create a different image. One that is unique and meaningful for them. In this scenario you cannot be wrong, your image is uniquely yours and therefore beyond criticism.

Think of your life like that.

Now Imagine that you cannot see anyone else's image. To you their canvas remains blank, there is nothing to compare your image with. You cannot criticise any other image because you cant see them, nor can you be influenced by what others have pictured. Only the creator knows what they are seeing and what they have created. No good no bad, no right or wrong.

Think of your life like that.

You cannot see what is behind someone else's thinking. Only the image it produces in your mind.

How different would it be if you could see everyone else's' image ? If they saw yours ? Would you then feel fear, judgement, inadequacy ? Would you make comparisons ?

Is life like that ?

What then if you were told you could fill your canvas from a selection of predetermined images. You could choose, but only from what is already imagined. Would that serve you best ?

You are unique and creative do you express that ?

Now imagine the same artists studio, but this time you are given a canvas that has a lightly imprinted paint by numbers image on it. Your are given unlimited access to any colours you can imagine and told there are no rules about how the image should end up, you have absolute freedom to create whatever you can imagine but within the paint by numbers template. Again it is unlikely that any two images will be the same, although there will be similarities.

Now you are given the choice to choose from hundreds of different paint by number images but with the same rules applied. So there is further freedom to be unique and individual and then you are asked to express yourselves. So, further freedom but still restricted.

As long as the creator is limited by the paint by numbers canvas, there will also be a limit to the creative process. Nothing completely new or unique can come out of it. The creative aspect will be there, but its potential is limited. Have you really expressed yourself fully under those circumstances

Is life like that ?

Imagine as a fledgling artist, you were shown example images that others had previously approved of and other examples that were not popular, would you be influenced ?

Why is pink predominantly seen as a girls colour while blue is for boys ?

As you think of an "image" of happiness are your thoughts predetermined ? Flowers, rainbows, unicorns, clowns, love hearts ?

An image of sadness, storm clouds, darkness, dark colours ?

How does all this relate to life ?

The biggest aspect of human life expression that separates it from other life is the ability to think. To perceive things that do not already exist. We have imagination and that translates to creative thinking. While most of life on earth operates from instinct, we are not limited by that. Because of that, humanity is creative. You may not be artistic but you can and do create. Every one of us can imagine and picture things that do not currently exist.

An idea is that in action.

In the same way that a painter begins with a blank canvas and creates an image that changes the canvas from what it was into something else, we have that potential to create our lives. The canvas represents an unrestricted starting point. The artist brings to life something new and importantly, unique, simply by using the power of creative thought. Any image could end up replacing the pure potential of the blank canvas and it is unlikely that any two would be the same.

For most of us the canvas of life was never blank.

We are brought up to believe the canvas which we will use to create a life should already contain an image. There are many images to choose from but very few of us will see a blank canvas of pure potential which could become anything our individual life expression wants from it.

Instead we are "guided" by what has come before us. What is popular or acceptable, similar to the paint by numbers image. In that way we only create what is predetermined, what is acceptable, or popular, so in essence we create for someone else.

We also assume that everyone around us will see our life image and rate it against all the others that already exist. They like this, they don’t like that and therefore we have a bias toward creating an image that appeals to everyone, making that a stronger motivation than creating an image that makes us, the real creators, happy and content.

Back to the artist and the original blank canvas scenario that we started with.

Whatever it is that ends up filling their canvas exists via that particular artist. Unique to the thoughts that only exist in his or her mind, it is brought to life out of those thoughts and experiences that are personal to him or her. It did not exist in any way until their creative mind was included.

It is pure because no one else could see it or judge it, the artist could not see any other images and therefore it is not influenced to any degree in his or her creative thinking. Pure self expression that allows the artist to find whatever image it is that provides joy and contentment.

Usually art is successful if it conveys something to the observer, an emotional response or simply because its beautiful in the eye of the beholder. For that to work requires an observer, an interpreter, a critic. This may be important for selling art and becoming a successful artist but in creating pure images that are only for ourselves the motivation needn’t be to convey anything, it is only personal. Unfortunately most of us don’t approach life in that way and that sets us up to compromise.

In life as art we also need to be aware that no one is capable of seeing the image we create because it only exists through us. What that means is that even if someone else views what we have created in our lives the best they can do is filter it through their own thoughts and experiences. They may see something similar but they cannot see it in the way it was created because that included aspects of you, whilst they will include aspects of themselves. In this way all onlookers are interpreters. The problem is we all interpret differently, so the image will be seen inaccurately because the interpreter cannot know what thoughts brought it into being. Only their own interpretation of what they observe.

This means that we will never succeed in finding unique life expression if we try and make it about what is expected by others. No matter what we do, we can't achieve that because none if us share the same thinking.

Our focus then should be on ensuring that the image that we bring to life through our lives pleases us as our primary focus.

The alternative is the paint by numbers scenario of staying within the preconceived templates that have already gained approval. A safe option which ultimately can only provide a limited measure of true self expression and which reduces our ability to truly create and grow and denies us a true sense of self.

In life we are creative, we have ideas and make progress. We accelerate towards greater and more innovative technologies, we solve problems and plan for our futures. But are we painting by numbers ?

What more could there be to life if we opened our minds and thought in terms of pure potential. Do we allow ourselves to think only in terms of what others prefer or beleive ?

Does our current expression of life free us or hold us back ?

Do we create more problems that we solve ?

Are the problems we create a side effect of the preconceived images that restrict us ?

Artists creates something that did not previously exist.

A combination of colour, texture, light and shadow conceived via creative thinking.

Life is a blank canvas, it is not a predetermined image unless we let it be that. Don’t paint by numbers.

Create your life as an artist, it is your image, no one else sees it as you do, let it be pure and unique, let it be you..,