Living Art #IWSG Wednesday

It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. Note: It’s NOT the 1st Wednesday, but due to technical difficulties, this post didn’t publish as scheduled. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Thank you to LAST month’s awesome co-hosts for the IWSG: Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson! THIS month’s amazing co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence! They will be answering the optional question for March: “Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?” This week I will be talking about Living Art and how it inspires my writing, as I answer the optional IWSG question for February 5th, 2020:

Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

Okay, so that’s technically 2 questions. I had to think about this for a while. I have looked at a lot of art in my lifetime. As a homeschooling mom, I tried to immerse my children in the beauty of art with plenty of museum field trips. I guess I did alright with that since my oldest daughter is graduating this spring with a major in Art History and a minor in Museum Studies. Still, as I searched my memory, I couldn’t think of a single photo or painting that ever inspired a story.

Then I thought about what has inspired me in my writing. How have I come up with the characters I’ve written and come to love as if they were real. What has inspired my stories in my nonfiction books? Every one of them has sprouted from the seeds of living art that have been planted in my life.

What is Living Art?

Living art is created by God, in each and every person we encounter. There are people who have changed me in some way, often in small ways, throughout my lifetime. Sometimes it is only a brief encounter that can put someone on display in the museum in my mind. Every day I see angry people, sad people, people filled with joy, those who perform amazing acts of charity. I am fascinated by all of this and by their unknown motivations. I create backstories for many of them and often use them in my writing.

A Future Project

I have been writing down my musings and the things I see each day. I hope to use these glimpses of living art to write an interesting collection of observations. In many ways, my cashier job has revitalized my writing. It has put me in the midst of activity and most importantly in a showcase of living art and all of its wonder. I look forward to reading how other writers are inspired by art or photographs. How do they inspire you?

What Are YOUR Thoughts?

I’d love to hear in the comment section, below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, in spite of their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.