Make more of life through art
BECOMING A VISUAL ARTIST was not on the radar when Patricia Katz was mapping out her career and building her consulting business. She’d found success as an educator, author, speaker, syndicated columnist and consultant. She’d helped people enhance their wellbeing by revealing how to “balance the press for performance with an equally critical pause for renewal.” She’d written five books on time, stress, life balance, perspective and appreciation.
Outwardly, a lot of boxes had been ticked. The marriage, the kids and the business were on track. A master’s degree had been completed. Things were ‘fine.’ So why were some days so grey? Why the midlife malaise? Katz began listening to a voice whispering in the background that perhaps there was more, a spark of something that could enrich her life.
One day, Katz spied a random advertisement for a five-day watercolour workshop. On impulse, she struck a match and wrote the cheque. What flamed to life that day was a lasting new direction. “I had really terrible paintings at the end of it. But I was hooked by the possibility of getting better at it, so there was that pull to try and learn more,” says Katz.
Katz developed her skills, attended workshops and learned from artists like Judi Whitton, Charles Reid and others, revelling in the novelty of this new kind of creative expression. Grey days were banished as her life took on more colour.
Her new pursuit blended
well with her love of travel. When a spectacular scene in a new destination presented itself, her “itchy fingers,” responding to some undefined itch in her soul, reached for her sketchbook and paints. Katz has captured scenes in multiple destinations like France, the Amalfi Coast,
the Caribbean, the South Seas and Waskesiu, to name a few.
Since that first class, the thrill is unabated, the quest undimmed. Sketch books and paints have become Katz’s constant companions. She’s eaten abysmal food so she could sit at a
sidewalk café or restaurant and capture a scene from there. Sometimes interested bystanders stop and chat. One café worker asked why she didn’t sketch their café.
Katz’s immersion in art found a natural segue into her work with “Press Pause.” Painting became the oxygen for wellbeing. “For me, it’s not possible to continue to be stressed about something else because doing watercolour painting is so engaging. Time falls away. There is a that element of relaxation and it feels meditative.”
To help others ignite that spark, Katz produced a TEDX talk called, “Light a spark: navigating the mid-life malaise.” To people in midlife who wonder, “Is this all there is?” she says, definitely not. Possibilities abound, but in a world that rewards performance over pause, uncovering the ‘ more’ requires a deeper level of listening. “In order to explore more possibilities for life, you have to back off and give yourself a chance to let them bubble to surface,” she explains. “You have permission to invest some time and energy in yourself and explore what that might be.”
Diving into watercolour painting wasn’t an entirely random choice, it was an extension of her long-standing interest in colour and design. She had designed clothes for her own kids, enjoyed landscape gardening, and had a lifelong appreciation for art and beauty. Threads from the past guided her forward.
Finding that spark can be as simple as tracing what intrigues you and what you’re curious about, Katz says. For
HOBBIES CAN HELP people escape the daily grind. Though it’s easy to view hobbies as enjoyable ways to pass the time, they also can be vehicles that enrich your life.
Hobbies are especially good at helping people learn new skills. They also may help boost professional and personal development.
Hobbies play a vital role for a variety of reasons, and some hobbyists may be surprised to learn just how much their favourite form of escapism is benefitting their lives.
• Hobbies may help to relieve stress by keeping you engaged with something you enjoy. Reducing stress may help you remain calm and be more productive at home, at work and in school. Reduced stress also translates into improved mental and physical health.
• People who engage in hobbies experience new things and may interact with different people through their interests. This can give you various topics to discuss in conversation and make you more interesting to others. Learning skills through hobbies also means you will obtain specialized knowledge that you can impart on people with similar interests.
• Hobbies can be creative outlets that take your mind off of other things. For people who have trouble with meditation and other mindful ways to shut off their brains, hobbies can be a form of escapism that leaves you alone with your thoughts. According to the self-improvement resource Personal Growth, most hobbies actually have a meditative effect on your thoughts because, no matter what you are doing, your awareness becomes completely focused on the hobby.
• Hobbies can improve your social life and foster creative bonds with others, providing great ways to meet and get closer to people who share your interests.
• Hobbies can help stave off boredom, providing productive outlets when there is nothing else available to fill the time. Hobbies can be more beneficial ways to spend your time than playing games on a phone or watching television.
• Hobbies also may be educational and enrich knowledge through skill building. People who start with one hobby may find connections to other ones, further developing their knowledge and skill sets.
If embracing new hobbies is on your list of resolutions for the upcoming year, individuals can rest assured that engaging in hobbies promotes personal growth in various ways. (Metro)