Get Your Hands Dirty

Artists cherish their tools, fostering an intimate relationship with them. Chefs, hair stylists, makeup artists, ceramicists, mechanics, surgeons... The list goes on, encompassing identities that rely on their tools.

my grandfather's art tools

This leads me to realize - we are all creators. When you pare it down, it's truly remarkable to think about. No matter the industry or role you identify with; you are creating.

In today's world, we are conditioned to believe that the high-end way to leave an imprint is with our thumbs or a keyboard: meetings, mind maps, workflows, social media, etc. I'm not disparaging the white-collar culture. It's merely an eye-opening observation. I know many fantastic creations and art emerge in the digital landscape.

On the contrary, our tools evolve with every generation, becoming smaller, more streamlined, and requiring less energy to engage with. Our bodies and minds don't need to move as much, and a sedentary lifestyle becomes (and is) the norm. To get our food, we don’t even have to touch the fruit or push a cart. It’s curbside at our fingertips.

The availability to instantly connect is disconnecting us from our body’s capabilities.

This might be a micro plea to engage with something physically…. get your hands dirty. Play. Experiment. Fail and try again. Bake a cake, redecorate a room, paint your bathroom, sew the buttons.

Inspired by The Creative Act: A Way of Being

The hand-to-mind connection must be exercised otherwise we’ll lose the connective tissue with ourselves and our bodies. Literally.

Use your hands to create physical matter that exists beyond a moment of an algorithm or email.

Create, learn, and grow.

This is our only job while we’re here.

With love,
Megan