You’re a work of art and that includes your grocery list

Every day is a blank canvas.

An invitation, ready and waiting for each of us to do whatever. So they say.

But the canvas isn’t blank, is it? We wake up to a cluttered portrait of who we must be.

But still ... still we always are painting a picture of ourselves. Aren’t we?

I was scrolling Facebook this morning and suddenly was eye-to-eye with a striking woman. She seemed frozen in a moment of thought. Which was appropriate because her thoughts were printed across the bottom of the photo.

I’m a sucker for quotes and this one resonated. These words have been looping in my head:

“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.”

The words blend into the beauty of the woman pictured, Helena Bonham Carter, an English actress.

I’ve heard similar sentiments from others wrapped up in a creative world. But she takes us off stage and screen and into our homes, our everyday cluttered-canvas lives.

I can relate to artists, writers, musicians, architects, designers and more who proclaim that life is art and art is life. But her words show me we are all creators. Helena Bonham Carter spelled it out but add your own details. Such as …

For years I pushed through my morning routine getting ready for a day of work. The shaving ... to shape my image of self. And the tie. The right length. The knot balanced and snug with a dimple just below. A work of art, every work day. Life is art.

Think about all the things we stage. (William was right: “All the world’s a stage.”)

Guests are coming so the china is out, utensils properly placed with crystal glasses, the napkins snugged into colorful rings. Looks good. Feels good. Life is art.

Memories become portraits. Friends and family snug together for a photo. Everybody must smile. (My smile sags so I force a grin.) Seeing everyone together makes it worthwhile. A moment framed. Life is art.

My wife has a passion for cooking. It’s not just about taste. The finished meal is plated carefully ... for a photo. (Then I can eat it and sing my song of flavor ... mmm, deeelicious.) Life is art.

We are always creating. Sculpting our day or a moment or a sentence or a smile or a touch.

It’s so easy to marvel at the delicate, precise artistry in nature. Ahh, yes, life is art. And each of us is part of that grand orchestra, filling our lives with happy songs ... and sad songs.

I think I see all forms of art and creativity as a story. Being written. Being told. Being crafted. Then left to be interpreted on many levels in many ways.

So, yeah, life is art. You are art. And you will never be a blank canvas.

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His Paperwork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.