Art that Matches the Sofa

I know a woman, Claire, who’s sister, Marie, was an avid art collector. Nothing over the top - no Picassos or Rembrandts in Marie’s collection but, some very nice original art. Upon Marie’s death, the siblings came to sort out the house and deal with the usual possessions that anyone would have in their home. Wanting to having something to remember her sister by, Claire took home one of the paintings from the collection.

When I saw the piece of art in Claire’s home, I remarked that I had never seen it before. She proceeded to tell me that it was from her sister’s collection. There was a piece of art that she liked a lot more than the one she brought home and she really wanted to have that piece instead but….. It didn’t match the sofa, or the furnishings or the color scheme of the place she wanted to hang it.

This made me sad for her. After all, this was to be a remembrance of her sister and she wanted one that was abstract yet, made her think of an angel but, instead she settled for one that matched the couch. It didn’t move her, it served a function. It decorated a wall and she filled the obligation of remembering her sibling.

I encouraged her to see if the other piece was still available for her. She could put it somewhere else, she could replace the one that was a place holder. She didn’t have to match the sofa. She could see it and remember her sister in a way that made her happy, rather than out of obligation. But the deed was done and the painting had been donated.

Have you ever done this? Really wanted something that was easy to have or well within your budget and talked yourself out of it for some practical reason. I don’t need it. Where would I put it? It seems frivolous. Or the dreaded - I don’t deserve it.

And then you think about it over and over again and the opportunity is missed. I did this once with a bracelet. We were traveling through Native American Reservation country and a silver artist had a beautiful bracelet for sale at his somewhat ramshackle roadside shop. It was perfect and I loved it. And I didn’t buy it. We never traveled that road again and I still lament not having bought it. It wasn’t even very expensive. Instead I bought a less expensive one at a shop in town and I have barely worn it. It was the answer to my regret of not buying the lovely one on the road. The difference in price was something like $20. Fifteen years later, as I write this post, it still bugs me.

This post is to remind you that you deserve to surround yourself with things that make you happy. They don’t have to be expensive - the free artwork for example. Buying art to match the house is fine if everything in the house is authentic to your taste. But you don’t have to make excuses about buying what you like. You don’t have to justify it to anybody but yourself. You don’t have to color coordinate art with your room. In fact, if the colors of the art are the same as the furniture you will barely notice the artwork.

What would make you truly happy? A tube of paint? A bouquet of flowers? An ice cream sundae? A walk on a woodland trail? Stop talking yourself out of it. You deserve to be happy. Every time you deny yourself a little happiness, you fill the space of regret with something else that doesn’t make you so happy. There’s no place for that in a creative life. There’s no place for that in any life. Living life in way that matches the sofa doesn’t make anything you experience stand out. You deserve to stand out because YOU ARE OUTSTANDING.

Thanks for being here and sharing your gifts with the world. Remember that the Universe has a lot to share with you and wants you to be happy. Really happy.