Well, as they say, everything starts with a thought, so did someone think of reaching the moon to see ‘the old lady with white hair weaving yarn!’ The parable which we heard as children still lingers.
As small children, we coloured with passion. We were overlooking margins, not restricting ourselves in boundaries. We coloured outside the lines. We may not have painted a perfect picture to look at, but it gave us tremendous fulfilment and joy. While growing up, we all would have sketched animals, birds, homes. Sometimes giving five legs to a zebra or colouring trees as pink and bears as red and oceans green. It was acceptable; our crossing boundaries was innocent, not reckless.
In my school, art & craft was a compulsory subject up till class 9th. I clearly remember what my drawing teacher Ms Usha Joshi would tell us, “use your imagination, do not stop visualising. You can colour the sky in any colour you want. Think and make new colour combinations. (Yes, we were taught to mix primary and helping colours to make new colours and shades.) Grow your creativity, bring it on your sheets.” I still can hear her voice gushing out of her lungs to say, “sochoge toh hoga.”
As life moves on, the innocent child in each gets trained to think, colour, walk and stay within social boundaries. Most often, the boundaries are not made by self but created by society. A code of conduct that one is expected to follow gradually restricts our thinking, sucking out the joy of creating or painting something new out of fear of judgment or failure. To stay safe unknowingly, we start to walk on a path laid by someone else. The ecstasy of creating your distinctive way in the journey of life gets dim.
Predicaments, moving out of the comfort zone, changes that may challenge the mind, fear of being judged stops most from seeking dreams that often bring life to a standstill. A mundane routine sets in until we mindfully colour our life’s canvas, making every stroke drawn from the heart’s vision towards our ikigai or follow a personal legend.
The last two years have taught us the fragility of life, each one to some extent as becoming a spiritual alchemist of the sort. What is required is the Flow, Mental and emotional strength to once again paint your canvas. Create your boundaries, pick a pink tree over a green one or red bears over brown & white, and stand by the choices we make firmly. Let the creativity flow, cutting across lines and scales of measures made by others. Who is your authentic self, what does it seek remains a question? The time is running out before it ebbs; no harm in flooding life once again with life’s joy, fulfilling big and small dreams.