Creativity = Lifelong Learning by Barbara Hengstenberg

Jordan Lake Dam

To me, learning is key to growth — physical, psychological, emotional and existential growth. My career as an educator helped me to focus on ways to expand one’s horizons and develop a love and desire for lifelong learning.

The creative process opens up so many doors into learning about oneself which continues to fuel the flames of my imagination, expression and artistry. For example, learning a new watercolor technique such as dry watercolor or using masking liquid teaches me new ways to experiment with my paintings. Planning and sketching a new piece requires problem solving and, as my dad, a stalwart New England carpenter, would say, “a lot of figurin’.”  In my multimedia collages, patterns and colors lead to connections. In my writing, I learn how to reach deep into my soul to pull out words and phrases that help my readers to better understand what I’m trying to say.. During these months of quarantine, I’ve also been taught lessons in gratitude and perspective. I’ve been creating one-of-a-kind watercolor notecards to send to friends and family for life events or just to say I’m thinking of you. Doing so provides a chance to deeply reflect on the person for whom the small painted card is being created in the hopes that my good wishes and love are carried to their mailboxes.

Sunset on Jordan Lake

Intuition fuels my creative process. My art studio is scattered with a variety of papers, envelopes, paints, water pots, brushes, pencils, markers and notebooks chockful of more ideas — all at the ready to create my next project.  I try to stay open to ideas from listening to and watching other creatives. I’ve been taking online courses in a variety of painting techniques, as well as yoga, meditation and fiddle-playing. This at-home time has provided me an opportunity to reflect on all that I value. Our farm, which is a forever home for rescued alpacas and a flock of chickens, has inspired me to create a blog, Growing the Farm: Wildefern Farm, which encourages me to learn more about the many aspects of animal care and gardening so that I can write about them. 

Life is a learning process, and creativity leads to opening oneself up to all that is yet to be discovered. There’s no time like the present to listen carefully to life’s lessons. Barbara Hengstenberg lives in Chatham County, North Carolina, and is the founder and artist behind WildesArt. You can read her interviews with visiting artists, as well as blogs by invited guests, at www.WildesArt.com. Her artwork is available via www.BarbaraHengstenberg.com, and her musings from the farm may be read at www.WildefernFarm.com.