In a world turned upside down by tornados and tsunamis, as well as a downward spiraling economy, it is hard to find a dose of hope and faith in our daily lives.
Instead of trying to chase after the hard times in life, we should stop and search for the small moments that creep up on us in the most unusual places - especially on the walls of a school.
A few weeks ago, my three children’s schools featured artwork created by the students. As you wander through the halls of the high school, you immediately feel transported on the wings of imagination far away from the confines of a distressed school budget and overburdened taxpayers.
The district wide art show displayed creations from budding five-year-olds to senior level future Picassos. “It is hard to pick these students each year because every one of my students is an artist,” says Bells Elementary school art teacher Richard Herzog.
My daughter Lyndsey, who has been featured in previous art shows, shared her sentiments about someone’s approach to art and how it is interpreted “through the eye of the beholder.” “Be brave in everything that you do,” Lyndsey said to me after we strolled by the different art displays.
While Lyndsey has cherished being chosen for the art shows, she feels that she is always in the midst of great artists wherever she goes.
Again, small touches of beauty can be seen everywhere in our daily lives. One of the interesting pieces of artwork that exemplified “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is the self-portrait gallery. Students from all ages using any medium, crayon, oil, pastel, or wire created a mirror image of themselves. These images were a beautiful portrayal of how these kids viewed the way they look to the rest of the world. These artists were brave to pour out their hearts and souls for the community to see.
Whether you want to be an art teacher when you grow up, like my daughter Lyndsey, or just get by in art like myself, who was proud that a stick figure started to resemble a human person, we need now more than ever to appreciate the little things that can brightened our day during our daily walk through life.