APPRECIATION as a key to unlocking how to "SEE"

Finding everyday beauty and inspiration in your surroundings contributes to a positive lens on life.

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HELLO 2024
You’ve made it.

Now, let’s see how we can make it even better.

Firstly, I want to take a moment to thank you for your support and for being right here with me right now. This is the first of what will be weekly prompts (both CREATIVE and THEMATIC). These prompts are designed to help you set intention for the rest of your week. They will be sent out on SUNDAYS at 10:00am.

Why Sunday? I want to give you an opportunity to read these reminders before bed, and maybe even re-read before you start your week rushing on Monday morning. My hope is that you can copy and paste or even print out the above mage to keep a record of it and help you remain in this mindset as you move through your week. I hope you find these helpful.

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APPRECIATION…

is a KEY ELEMENT to LEARNING how to SEE LIKE AN ARTIST

Finding everyday beauty and inspiration in your surroundings contributes to a positive lens on life. We don’t need much in our homes to enhance this experience. Appreciation of beautiful things which are unique to you doesn’t make you materialistic or superficial. This means you are aware and present to your physical place in time and space. It is a great primer for how you step out into the world.

Ensuring that your environment is one that includes beautiful things, things that spark joy, make you smile, feel warm to gaze upon (or just look darn pretty) can help. Whether an entire living-room that you have filled with the textures and colours that you love - or one, simple corner of a single room with a single plant in a pleasing pot.

“APPRECIATING” the beauty of things helps to activate the Reticular Activating System (RAS) which receives input from visceral, somatic, and sensory systems. ¹

The RAS helps you see what you want to see and in doing so, subconsciously influences you to create new belief systems. Rather than seeing is believing, the RAS really is helps you to BELIEVE it when you SEE it. This means it helps to create biases and a lens through which you see the world… Here’s an example. If you think pugs are the best dogs on the planet, you will begin to derive happiness, maybe even laugh every time you see a pug. You also will begin to quickly identify and recognize them quickly on TV shows, in dog parks even when you are driving. You may not even notice other breeds because you are so attuned to pugs!

In other words… artists who spend their life looking for and seeking out beauty are more likely to also find it in even the most mundane places. An old barn. A dusty attic, maybe even in a dirty old alleyway or barren winter landscape. As an artist, you’ll say things like “wow, look at all of this amazing colour!” or “how would I capture this texture with paint?” or “Look at the interesting shape of that crack in the wall”. You will never be able to turn it off!

SO, let’s activate the RAS together! KEEP READING below for all of the PROMPTS!

These are just examples. You can come up with your own.

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• PROMPT: Each day this week, look around your home. Find spaces and or objects that allow your eyes to rest for a moment and breath deeply. Take twenty seconds to APPRECIATE (and maybe even give thanks to)

• the way the light is reflecting through your glass of water,

• the shape of a shadow dancing through the veil of a curtain,

• the soft fabric of your scarf

• the shape of the steam lifting from your coffee

• the richness in the colours of fruit in a bowl

• the warmth and depth to the wood grain on a piece of furniture

• the way seeing a pop your favourite in your home (or even office) colour makes you feel

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These are wonderful opportunities that you can look for in your EVERY DAY that feel like a mini-retreat. A quick moment to get centred before you rush out the door. A way to ground yourself and meditate on (and with) things you already have around you.

Warmly,

Crystal Beshara

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/reticular-activating-system