My walk today was a visual feast.
Vivid green grass is coming in strong, and the white and pink blooms on the trees are shimmering in full glory with the morning sun blazing through them. My eyes are enjoying rich contrast at every turn.
I'm suddenly
aware how contrast and variety, plus good use of colors, plays out in nature, and how similar art concepts parallel good living.
One of the core art rules every artist must follow, or intentionally break, is that of
contrast. Art without contrast tends to be boring and not engaging. If all of the values in a painting are medium-toned, absent of lights and darks, the visual interest needed to guide the viewer's experience is missing. The eye doesn’t know what to do so it looks away, on to the next thing. A good formula for a great piece of art is a varied mix of lights and darks, small marks and big ones, busy areas and resting places.
As an artist, I know that contrast is a beautiful necessity, and yet I start to complain when life serves me too much of it. I don't enjoy ten days in a row of rain and gray skies, but it does make me notice and appreciate the sunny days so much more. And how could I celebrate victories, if I
hadn’t experienced my share of delays and defeat? How could I know peace, if I hadn't also known chaos?
Contrast makes the story compelling and adds depth. No one wants to live a life where it's sunny every day and
nothing ever goes wrong. We may sometimes wish for that, but it would be a flat experience.
Ever seen a flat painting? I've seen a bunch—on my own easel. One of the most common things a painter must develop is an eye to
see, along with the knowing that something is missing, or needs to change, even if they don't know what it is. Just asking the question can open up the next move.
You know when a painting is flat if
you squint at it, and don’t see much movement. That’s because everything is about the same color intensity and it needs more pop. We don’t want flat lives either—we wouldn’t meet our inherent needs for change, surprise, variety and excitement.
Relationships are better with contrast. We grow when we meet challenges together. We bond over worries, fears and tears. We celebrate big wins, answered prayers and expanded territories. Contrast creates fertile ground for connection and deepening relationships.
If we didn't have that boss or coworker who drives us crazy for years (too much contrast), we might not ever acknowledge that it’s time to find something different (a place to rest).
If there were no clouds in the sky, we could never see the jaw-dropping beauty created as they pass in front of the sun, or in front of the moon. I've captured this scene recently, click here. Sure, that would have been a pretty sunrise
either way, but how stunning was that with all those moody clouds? And when that truck rolled up and cut right through my video, at first I was annoyed. But in looking back, it added movement. Interest. It gave the eye a break from what was so lovely, only to draw the eye right back into the sky. There will always be "trucks" in our lives. We can appreciate them for what they add.
And what about this one? If all we ever saw were beautiful, clear blue skies, how much would we be missing out on?
Just like in a painting, or in a life, the "clouds" give us points of interest and dimension, and greater appreciation, when they do break.
Every lesson and growth opportunity that we need to experience fulfilling lives
are being served up all around us—at our jobs, the grocery store, on the phone with the electric company, talking to a neighbor. Yes, sometimes we experience those lessons as conflict, but that’s okay. Let’s choose to see them as valuable contrast, which will serve to broaden our gratitude practices.
You paint your life with contrast and may not even realize it. Here are some of my favorites: a pinch of sugar in southern green beans, honey to chase the medicine or the it's-good-for-you health tonic, a piece of chocolate after a workout, and taking a vacation after months of working.
Today, notice all the contrasting elements of your life and appreciate the value they are adding, even and especially if it doesn’t feel particularly great right now. Life is full of opposites to keep it interesting and beautiful, and to enrich our perspectives as only contrast can.
(Pssst, if you've been watching Paint, Paddle & Play, week one just sold out! See below for what's still available.)
