Catherine, UNOH Noble Park, Melbourne, Australia
It’s Tuesday afternoon again… it’s a quiet time. Time for art. Gabriel and I and our three children are gathered out the back in our little art studio. Today three out of our five regulars turn up. They rarely all make it on the same week. None of us feel compelled to chat. Mostly, we are content to pull out our art things, listen to a relaxing CD and potter away at the business of making art.
For some this is a meditative process of colouring in an energetic design of swirls. For another, it may be choosing the next TV Week poster to turn into a portrait. Our children Clara and Nathanael are avid abstract expressionists, whereas Arthur prefers geometric designs. For myself, it has been re-discovering the joy of painting flowers from the garden or a photographed Australian landscape, something I have rarely given myself time to do since having children.
It is a small yet beautiful thing to carve out space each week to gather with others for the sole purpose of being creative. For those who come daily life can be full of struggle, boredom, isolation and anxiety. But when we come together we often experience peace in the fullness of being present to the moment. Our small attempts at creativity link us to our Creator and each other. Occasionally the group will offer one another feedback, and every now and then Gabriel and I may use our art teaching skills (when asked for). But mostly people know what they want to do or just want a safe place to experiment and try something new.
However, there have been times when few people, if any, have turned up, and the pressures of other commitments have loomed large. In the slow times I have doubted the value of our art group for those who have attended and, wondered “Is this really is the best use of our time and energy as a family? Is art group something that we should continue with this year….?” But just at my lowest point of doubt this January, Gabriel and I were blessed by a beautiful handmade card from one of the group members. Inside it were written these words:
“I just want to say thank you both so much for patiently working with me to help me get in touch with and rediscover my artistic, creative side. I feel like I am discovering things about myself for the first time, and creating art for me is a very vital part of my inner healing. Thank you for letting me go at my own pace and for not criticising my work. To me your art space is a healing space.”
So amidst all my questions, I know God is doing something beautiful, and I know that for us and our children it is important, in this age of driven-ness and productivity, to make times to simply slow down and be.