What is Hidden Art?
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You’ll find it in the Beauty of the ‘everyday’. In the ‘mundane’.
When we step into an art gallery, we expect to see beauty. When we walk through a rose garden in full bloom, we expect to see beauty. When we pick up fashion and decorating magazines we expect to see beauty.
But is that the only place we find beauty?.
Edith Schaeffer (author of *affil link* The Hidden Art of Homemaking) and I agree that this is not the case. ‘Hidden Art’ (Beauty) can be seen all around us — in the everyday things — we only need to look with the Eyes of The Creator. Living out life artistically, aesthetically, creatively will bring fulfillment and enrichment to ourselves, to our families, to all those around us. It will let them see The Creator.
How can we do this? Are you saying, like I have often said, “If only I had more talent. . . more resources. . . more space. . . more time. . . etc.”
“Maybe when the children are grown. . . after we’ve retired…and paid off the mortgage. . . and. . .”
Really, all it takes is “being sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for our appreciation”, as Edith Schaeffer says.
Reach out and touch the world around you. Get down and look at life from a different angle. Practice seeing the people you meet from their life’s perspective rather than your own. View all of life through the lens of God’s Word.
It does take conscious discipline, making choices about how we will order our days, our thoughts, our homes. If this all sounds far-fetched and impossible, if you are saying “this-is-so-not-for-me,” consider that maybe, just maybe, you are just a bit rusty and out of practice.
Chapter 2 concludes with the illustration of wearing a cast while allowing a broken leg to heal:
“For many people, and too often for many Christian people, the areas in which they could be creative have been encased in a cast, and the creative muscles and joints . . . have stiffened with disuse.”
Will you join me as we exercise our stiff limbs and seek out ways to add beauty and creativity to our days? I’m looking forward to sharing with you in the weeks to come from subsequent chapters. The author will be sharing more ideas and how-to’s to help give us a jump start into a more creative, fulfilling, enriched life.
I’ll be linking this post up with the Book Study on The Hidden Art of Homemaking with Cindy at Ordo Amoris
You can find the full list of posts in this series HERE.
“View all of life through the lens of God’s Word.”
Yes! Love this quote and admonishment. God’s Word changes how we see and what we see.
Thank you for your comment! I do have to make the choice daily, sometimes minute by minute of who’s lens I’m choosing to look through – His or mine.
Yes, I will join you in exercising my stiff limbs! Thank you, Linda, for sharing your lovely thoughts!
So glad you’ll join me, Linda! Having a workout partner makes it all more effective and more enjoyable. I’m not one that enjoys exercising, but I’ll do my best to keep up with you other ladies in this books study 🙂
Viewing life through God’s lens is really the most important thing we can (and should) do, but oh, it can be so easy to forget!
Important? yes. Easy? no. Worthwhile? Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by, Beth. Your comments encourage me!
Linda,
One of my main talking points to parents in the Internet age is that when they see a good idea or hear of a good book to read aloud, don’t just add it to a list, get up and begin to do the idea or read the book immediately. That protects us from the “Pinterest” syndrome of collecting ideas but never really getting around to using them. Of course, we cannot do it all. Some things are just pretty pictures after all.
So true, Cindy. Our God is an inter-active God. He desires relationship. We gain so much by getting involved and communing with the world around us, the people around us. If we do, I believe we’ll see more of the beauty and art in His creation. Thanks for your comments!
yes. tons of beauty is found in the everyday things.
wouldn’t it be true that lots if not most famous and classical artists have actually just tried to capture and portray their own ‘everyday beauty’ in their creations? they simply have a special talent for communicating and sharing the same appreciation that we might only be able to ‘feel’ and therefore became famous… i don’t know if i have said that in an understandable way, but one of your comments prompted me to think it. 😉
thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you, Amy, for your insight 🙂
We each have talents for communicating, don’t you think? God the Creator is a Wordsmith (he spoke the world into existence), a gardener (Eden and the world we have around us now!), a potter (these flesh and blood bodies of ours came from dust/clay). So sad that ‘fame’ seems to be a main goal in being artistic. We miss the point.
Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts on the next chapter!
This sounds very interesting. There is beauty in slowing down enough to notice it all around us. Sometimes it is just in the light that shines through a sunny window and onto the floor in the kitchen. I’m going to look up the book. Now that I’m home it seems timely.
There really is beauty all around us, if we only look.
I hope you enjoy the book – I should pick up my copy and re-read it!
Nice post. I try to notice little things, nature and hidden beauty everyday!
There’s so much beauty in the little things <3 thank you for your sweet comment!