A Creative Life

Bennett Bean has been alive for 83 years. For most of that time he was been making things. He loves making things - beautiful things, useful things, delicious things and all kinds of things.

Touring his home was absolutely inspiring. Every corner and room was curated in such a way as to create a visual feast. There was art, collected rocks, textiles, one-of-a-kind rugs and so much more. It was full of inspiration and yet, spacious with room to breathe and admire everything.

Each room had comfortable seating and took advantage of the light and view. It made me pause and when I got home, I had a review of some furniture placement. Was I getting the best view from each seat? Was I displaying my work and collections in ways that inspired me? Bennett didn’t put things in specific places to be showy. He placed them where they could be enjoyed in his daily life. If you’ve ever taken something beautiful and put it in a cabinet to save for company, you might want to consider keeping it out and enjoying it. Because even if your company is special, so are you. No one needs permission to enjoy life, but how much you enjoy your home depends a lot on how you choose to curate what you see on a daily basis.

Once we toured the house, we had a look at the grounds. He lives on about four acres. But it felt so much bigger simply because of how it was positioned in the landscape.

Leftover granite from tombstones that Bennett traded for field stones.

Finally, we toured the studio and his office space. It was packed with supplies, finished artwork, unfinished artwork, beginnings and things that had run their course but were still hanging around. I’d like to say it made me want to collect more stuff but, the opposite was true. It made me appreciate all of my art supplies. However, seeing all the unused stuff that he had no plans for made me realize that having more stuff is not the answer to boosting your creativity. Instead, I reinforced for myself that having limited supplies helps you get to the act of creating more quickly. You don’t have to decide what to use from a huge stockpile of unlimited materials. Instead, you get to look at what you have and then discern what materials you want to work with and get going. If I had that much stuff, I’d probably be paralyzed with indecision.

Bennett sharing about a series of clay work that he has a lot of on hand. Unfortunately, it was all made just prior to March 2020 and the big shut down. But, he’s thinking about where to sell it and if you are interested you can reach out to him.

His office has his fabulous artwork, as well as art he has collected. But, it also has a really cool curved ceiling. It’s remarkable in design and captures the view and light so beautifully.

I asked Bennett how long he’s lived here. Fifty years. Which makes sense because he has accumulated a lot of things over that time. I also told him that I was inspired by what a remarkable life he has lived. He said the secret to it was that he found ways to be happy most of the time. Which isn’t the same as having an easy or privileged life. He just chose to be happy. When winter was coming and their home didn’t have a furnace, he didn’t worry. A sale of his work came at just the right moment that he and his wife could buy a furnace. When people told him to follow the art trends, he did. Sometimes it worked out. But, he was so happy making the work that when it didn’t work out, he didn’t hang his happiness on the sales or lack of them. He just enjoyed the process.

There’s something to be said for that. Happiness is, after all, a choice. It isn’t contingent on having everything. In time, maybe fifty years, you’ll have amassed things. The secret I guess is to curate what you keep according to how much joy it brings you to have it. The other side of course, is to let go of things you feel obligated to keep, guilty about throwing away or that drain your energy by filling space that you need to keep open and breathe in.

If you get the chance to see an artist’s studio or perhaps their home, I highly recommend you take the opportunity. The stories he shared and energy of his space were really powerful. The take aways - if you are lucky enough to be creative - you are luckier than many. If you do things that make you happy, you are fortunate. If you do all things in a way that makes you happy, you are wiser than most. Ultimately, your small daily choices are what make a remarkable life.

You can check out his work at his website. My pictures were taken with my phone and don’t do the work true justice. Perhaps you will see something you want to bring into your space there.