Painting by numbers

I am a long standing Board member of Southern Tables Arts, a regional arts organisation that provides arts programs, services and invaluable information to the creatives in the local government areas we serve.  I sometimes find my involvement with an Arts board amusing as I am very much a left brain person.  I am not remotely creative.  I cannot draw or paint to save myself, and my piano playing skills are limited to Heart & Soul.  I am a fabulous singer and dancer in the privacy of my own domain (with a few glasses of wine under my belt), but in real life my talent is extremely limited. 

I came to recognise my limitations many years ago. Unlike my family who have always been crafty and imaginative, I found no joy in creating something from wool or fabric.  I once managed to knit one arm of a jumper (thanks mum for finishing that jumper for me).  My worst ever school mark was for Textile and Design after the sloppy joe I tried to create had arms that were so skinny they would only fit a baby. After a few failed attempts at sewing clothes for my kids I gave away my sewing machine and acknowledge my lack of skill and interest in this area.  I am not a creative, but that does not mean I can’t appreciate art.

Art makes our communities better and our lives more colourful.  Nothing has shown me that more than being involved on this Board.  We provide programs for the aged, disabled and our youth.  We celebrate our history and our cultural diversity.   Art is much more than a painting on a wall, although paintings on the wall are beautiful.  Art is a way to express our feelings, opinions and engage our communities in discussion.  Art creates our own history and stories to pass to future generations.

Despite my left brain tendencies, I am starting to see art in my own life.  I believe that I read numbers with a level of creativity.  A P&L and balance sheet appear to me like a story.  This is not a freaky, card counting at the casino type of thing (I am not that good at maths), but the numbers speak to me.  I see art in numbers.  We are taught at university that accounting is an exact science, but knowing how to manipulate the numbers (legally of course) to set directions and achieve results is an art.  It is this creative side of my business that I enjoy most.  It feel joy when I find a good solution to a problem and help make my client’s business lives better.  That is an art, not a science.

Although I am not creative in a traditional arts project way, I do create things.  I have created businesses, brands and solutions. My mind is constantly ticking with new ideas and imagining how they can be executed into realities.  There are parallels between creating a successful business and creating a beautiful art piece.  It takes planning, imagination and skill.  Igniting the right brain only enhances our abilities to build better businesses. 

Take the creative skills you have, learn from them and develop them.  Integrate them into your lives. Even if you are not particularly good at them, if they bring you joy then have the courage to try.  Sing, dance, paint, sew be imaginative.  Spark your right brain and see how it impacts on your life.  Help make this world, your world a better place.  Together we can create real beauty to share.