“We often talk of saving the planet, but the truth is that we must do these things to save ourselves.” ~ David Attenborough
Join our Community of Peaceful Living Wellness Warriors
and receive a special free gift:
Our Top 5 Tips for Peaceful Living
I was asked by an art gallery recently, whether my glass work is sustainable. Of course I knew exactly what they wanted to spotlight: how vast mixed media has become, and the ingenious ways artists source their materials. The process of our work has always been of interest, and so often behind the curtain, the Oz in an artist has found ways to reduce the cost and waste of materials, use footprint-reduced packaging, or purchase from conscientious suppliers.
I consider all of these thoughts and practices upcycling, because as artists what we also create for our audiences are examples of the awareness or possibility. Ways we can all employ creative practices in every day life. It’s a bit like a scavenger hunt, where in turn as the audience, we then see the mundane things we can upcycle too. In fact, if you Google “upcycling”, even the definition is inspiring:
“What is Upcycling? Upcycling is a form of recycling where instead of turning waste into new materials, you can take a product that you would otherwise throw away and give it a new use in life. Rather than recycle using a recycling bin, you can use your creativity to update and renew old items.” ~ Google
Related Post: The Secret Reason You are Stuck at Work
I know! It’s pretty fun, and I’ll bet you know a few things you can upcycle, or a business of any kind you can support because they do too. What’s better though, is I’ll bet you’re already doing both those things. Upcycling is a natural and creative activity most of us already do. Art is a creative process for sure, but it is also a deep reflection of life. It’s an exchange between an artist and their world, and our medium is just simply the language by which we infer our observations. We show you what is possible, by reflecting what you already are.
Hmmmm. Sounds a little like homeopathy doesn’t it? Oh yes, indeedy! Let’s spend some time upcycling that thought too.
In my “day job”, my work as a homeopath has always been focused on the thinking-forward part of health — the what is beyond our illnesses. By definition, homeopathy means “same disease,” and we use this to prescribe medicines to alleviate disease symptoms. At face-value this works most of the time, but truly the real cure happens only when we make the changes the body is asking of us. Much like art, this communication can be quite abstract, especially from the perspective of “what do I do to stop these symptoms?” Or, “what does this mean?” The purest cure, though, can be discovered when we sit with our painful symptoms and ask ourselves: what would I rather be doing?
Disease is a profound language the body is speaking and the solution is two-fold: eliminate, avoid, or reduce the thing that is making you sick; engage fully in the things that make you feel great. We don’t always know the things that make us sick – and we can’t always avoid them either, because that list of things is not totally in our control – but we can definitely do the things we wish we could do, if only. We may not be able to do them fully, but we can always do them wholeheartedly.
Let’s get practical now; let’s upcycle this concept. What if you had a headache? A short nap would likely make the head pain better, but as you are falling asleep, you would also likely be saying to yourself “grrrrr I wish I could….” Well, it’s that thing you wish for that is the actual cure to your headache. You may not be able to physically do that thing you wish for in the moment, but you can upcycle that thought into an action when the head pain has subsided. And for the bonus round, you can further upcycle your head pain if you execute some of the ideas you have while you are doing the thing you wished you could do, as you were falling asleep, knowing that the sleep would help your head, bada-boom.
Health is very much a creative process, and we are upcycling all the time. And now, fellow artist of life, it’s time to bring this all home:
In homeopathic philosophy, we consider the cause of disease to begin on the mental and emotional plane, that what we think and feel creates our experiences – healthy and unhealthy. Disease itself begins first as a negative feeling, then becomes a compromised function, and then finally becomes a pathology. It’s rarely sudden, and most of us will recall the feelings having been around for many years before they became debilitating.
In hands-on homeopathic practice, we see that these days, the predominant cause of adult disease is work related. But we’re talking about us all as artists here, so go ahead, stretch out. Consider this to mean that every single thing you do–do-do has the potential to positively or negatively affect your health. This is a huge and delicious canvas!
So… is my glasswork sustainable? You bet your sweet cheeks it is, and we’re not just talking the packaging, wholesale companies I buy from, who employ new Canadian immigrants (mostly women), the time of day I run my kiln, or the temperate time of year I do the bulk of my production work. I’m talking about how this work sustains my happiness, which in turn becomes the next stepping stone on the life path I create for myself. This work is sustainable, simply because it is an act of joy – the most important thing we can be doing for our world at this time. Art inspires us all to be creative and open; it returns the human element to our daily lives, as well as our economy and our health care.
So I ask you, fellow artist, is your work sustainable? When the world around you draws from you personally, can you, as a source of energy and joy, be upcycled like the work of art that you are too?
You bet your sweet cheeks you can. You are Life’s wholehearted opus.
ADRIENNE YEARDYE
Welcome! I’m Adrienne. I am a skier, a Homeopath, and a glass artist. Life itself is my first love.
Wherever I am, I am governed by a thirst for experience, fearlessness, exploration and the incredible feeling of freedom. That place travels with me. In fact, I am pretty sure it is me. Or, maybe it is just my pleasure to give this cocktail of energies big legs and a giant smile.
