As I sit down to write my monthly blog, I’m reflecting on how quickly time goes. As time passes, we learn and evolve and I think that is true in all areas of our life and I know I have as an artist. We can learn so many things without realising it and it’s only upon reflection that we notice how far we’ve come. 

As we approach the third month of the year, here in the Northern half of the world we prepare for Spring and I love seeing all the flowers blossom and bloom, and the birth flower of March is the daffodil. Vibrant yellow bursts of color in nature. Wow. I always see Spring as a beautiful time of year to chase new ideas and rejuvenate. It’s also a time to reflect and appreciate with gratitude what you’ve learned in your craft so far and how amazing it is that you’re exploring what’s possible. 

Time really is a learning curve. Those times we start something brand new and have no idea what we’re doing, getting to grips with part of a process but needing more practice, scraping the canvas totally and wondering why it happened and should I give up, learning important lessons to ensure next time it goes better. Time can be a huge gift to our learning experience and we will take many steps forward, a few back, but overall, any amount of effort or creativity on something is progress and we should be proud of that; not only learning something to enhance our life but also that we are developing as people and artists. I see people sometimes wanting to rush a process, just get it done and only appreciate the creation once it’s finished. But isn’t it the actual process we should take notice of? Being in the present moment. Feeling it. Hearing it. Really connecting with our senses to appreciate how we get from A to B. All too often the world is in a rush to get “there” but doesn’t appreciate the “journey” taken. I really focus on that element in the course I wrote on Smart Art Courses; using your art and creativity to be present and notice the journey rather than just appreciate the end result whilst allowing yourself to relax and ground yourself along the way. Observing time really allows you to achieve that. Let’s all promise ourselves to sometimes just slow down, take our foot off the gas and appreciate the present moment. 

Let’s do an exercise together. Starting today, for the next month, write down one thing each day that you are either grateful for, what you’ve achieved and what you’ve learned. Then by the time you read my next Blog, in a month’s time, you will reflect and then realise all the things that might have previously gone unnoticed until you had gone through that process of reflection. Take time for you, take time to appreciate what you do and learn each day, because you really are amazing and you do evolve no matter how small the steps or how big the successes. 

Check out Mark’s course on Smart Art Courses: Mindfully Creative: Art Techniques for the Mind, Body and Soul
www.smartartcourses/art-for-mindfulness 

Mark Ratcliffe from Mark J Ratcliffe Art: Abstract Artist & Creator; Certified Meditation Coach and
Wellbeing Practitioner.  Written in his own words @MarkJRatcliffeArt / markjratcliffeart@gmail.com