Life Imitates Art?

Life imitates art. Or is it the other way around?

I haven’t created much since the beginning of the year, though I’ve had the itch to. I did make myself a new bracelet for my Bellabeat Leaf, since the other one was giving me a rash. I’ve been getting distracted by politics instead.

While right now paying attention to politics is a good use of time, considering the substantial attacks on everyone’s human rights in some form or another, I’ve been letting myself get drawn in the wrong ways. I’ve been spending hours reading news article after news article. I’ve been following my Facebook newsfeed. I’ve been reading too many posts in groups I’ve joined. I’ve been responding to people whose minds I’ll never change a little too often.

I’ve shut some of that off, and today I was finally active about creating.

I’ve had a dark painting on my mind for awhile. Something that conveys some of the darkness hanging around about our political and social climate. Last night I laid down a foundation of overlapping, multi-colored crayon circles that resemble electrons or targets, depending on your perspective. Today I started with a spray bottle of water, black paint, and one of my painting knives. I liked how the color showed through the black, and I liked the starkness of the white lines the knife made. I added in purple and blue, the colors of healing bruises. I finished with the red. Violent, passionate. It felt good to make it, though I don’t think it will be the last of its nature.

I also completed a painting I started a long time ago. I’m calling it “Moody Heart.” I painted the background for it a long time ago, in preparation for a 5×5 event that I didn’t end up participating in.

Maybe because it’s so close to Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s because my heart feels so bruised right now. Whatever the reason, I painted a heart on that little canvas. I added in the red in the background. To me, they are all of the other hearts bruised and battered right now. The large heart is messy, like it might be falling apart.

So does life imitate art, or is it the other way around? Right now things feel chaotic. The future of our country feels dark in a time when facts are only accepted if they are alternative, education is only for folks who can pay for it, and our environment is entirely for sale. So I guess my first painting is imitating life, though I certainly hope we don’t end up in the land of anarchy.

Bruised, moody hearts out there are going to keep fighting to keep that from happening. We’re fighting the good fight with our calls, postcards, and marching. We’ll keep on with the fight to earn back the America our Founding Father’s promised. A land of the free. A home for the brave. A land where the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has a good chance to end in happiness for all who live here. Everybody.