Beauty and Expressive Arts (Journal 3)

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. " True. Added to this though is the truth, found in studies, and in my own observations of the world, there are certain shapes and features humans as a whole find more aesthetically pleasing. 

In creativity, depending on our end goal-beauty should be taken into account. 

If our goal is merely of expression-one should not strive for beauty, but truth. 

Being in a sacred spot of beauty promotes creativity in me. This in turn brings peace and healing much of the time--as I allow my thoughts and feelings to flow creatively. 

Creating beauty with others takes on a different tone-a different focus. This comes often after one has "played" and created by oneself...and found freedom in that. Creating a "beautiful mess" with people is profound. Life is messy. And life is beautiful. Often in the period of one day even this beauty and mess if found hand-in-hand. Often we saw something turned out beautiful because of the way the mess was handled. Was their kindness, warmth, teamwork? We call this beautifully working together. We use the term beauty to define many adjectives that might be better to use for understanding. And yet this word unites us-we understand what the other means when there is a sigh and "That was beautiful." I would like to go deeper into the meaning of beautiful. I just said we understand-but do we? I question myself. We can feel similar, but each person's perspective of what beautiful, more beautiful, profoundly beautiful, etc, is different. One person loves the desert, another loves the forest. No one is wrong. This needs to be in expressive arts therapy. You are not wrong to say a toad is beautiful. Sometimes though, when using the term, one means something else. Starting a conversation with beauty can be good, and then to find out what someone really means when they find something beautiful, or not beautiful--why, how? 

I've never met someone who thought a sunset was ugly. Beauty promotes healing. The earth is beautiful. It speaks of God's glory. It's dramatic in its expression. I feel comfortably small in nature. I can take in the grandiose beauty and not be crushed. I can join it with my heart beating faster and my lips singing out and my body moving from within. Bringing people to nature, to be in nature, is where beauty and healing often form a relationship. Humans were made in a garden, and that is where life was breathed into us. We were made to walk with God in beauty. No wonder nature pulls us in. Nature pulls us toward a walk with God. To be with ourselves, in ourselves, to be with the Creator and in His creation, with the One who holds it all in His hands. To hold His hand while He holds it all...including us. Yahweh holds us in beauty. This is healing. 

*When we create beauty, this gives us pleasure-this can be healing. Especially to someone who has seen pain and "ugliness" in life. 

*God says He will give us "beauty for ashes" and "the oil of gladness for the spirit of heaviness"  (Isaiah 61;3 in Bible) "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" Healing comes from expressive, creative worship to God. People's pure worship to God is beautiful.