Art is a gift of giving and receiving

Hello Creative QB’s,

Seth GodIn once tweeted, ‘Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn’t matter. The intent does’.

2 minute read

These past few weeks have been all about the gift of art with an exhibition called ‘Willful’.

Together with Alanya van de Wiel, Geoffrey Holmes Howitt and myself, we produced a body of abstract work and exhibited as the Ateliers, in Newcastle.

Willful means determined intention. As artists, we meet with a desire to take our art to a new level under the mentorship of respected Australian artist John Morris, at Newcastle Artspace in 2019. It was a ten month atelier (workshop). As a group, we developed and grew with intention and determination, a willfulness that gave us permission to produce a large body of work, it was a driving force of intention.

Once our art was up on the walls and people came to see it, it was a privilege to speak with so many and a delight to see people’s love and curiosity of art.

Creativity and imagination are human gifts, gifts of connection. When art is made from our gifts with the intention of love, beauty and greatness is created.

So when Seth Godin say’s “art is a personal gift that changes the recipient”, I only know this to be true.

Creativity is a spiritual practice in the expression love. (This is a quote from my book Daily Acts Of Creativity), it’s something that when practiced from love, with the intent of love, changes both the artist and the recipient.

The part of Seth’s quote that is relatable is this: In giving myself permission to accept my part of the gift, ie, stepping into my true creative desire and creating the work, it gives others permission to do the same. When it comes time to sell my art, the gift is handed to the buyer, giving them permission to own what they desire.

In that moment the gift is given and received; to both me the artist of the work and the buyer of the work. It’s not about whether I believe my work is worthy or good enough, it’s just about permission to give and receive the gift. It is a passing along of the gift, with the intention of love still living and breathing, forever embodied in the fibres of canvas, paper and pigment.

This is important because:

1. Hiding your gifts away depletes the gift of love, diminishing or making your wants and desires a bad or wrong thing.
2. By telling ourselves we don’t deserve or can’t afford the things we desire, like a piece of original art, stops the flow of gifts.

Scrolling through a Facebook group thread recently, I saw a post about someone who received the gift of original art for her birthday, this is what she said, “I’d thought original art was too fancy and expensive for me, turns out it isn’t!

I did a happy dance hearing this because she gave herself permission to desire and accept the gift. (Actually a gift in many ways).

When people purchase my artwork, or even my book, I am so excited and wish them ‘congratulations’. I bloody, really mean it too!, It’s a transaction of creative love, given and received, it will flow on, way beyond me, beyond what I could ever imagine.

A happy, healthy creative day to you.

Amanda ♥

Willful by The Ateliers in on in Newcastle until Sunday 16th of August, 4.00pm.

Click for all the details >> HERE