The Art of Beautiful Living

What is the Art of Living Beautifully?

Easter at Studley

The art of living beautifully (according to me) is something that I have seen around the globe in my life. Cultures from around the world do it differently, but there is always this in common…they find ways to sustain joy. They partner with the world and create a life for themselves that speaks to their souls. I have found somethings that do this for me. Food. Family. Friends. Work (not necessarily a job, but actually doing something I love).

It isn’t easy, this art of living beautifully. The world will partner with you, but it is just as happy to throw curve balls at you. Too little time to enjoy a meal. Settling for good enough or collecting clutter. Being your own worst critic and judging yourself too harshly. It all adds up and steals your joy. This reactionary response to life isn’t living beautifully. Control is elusive though, isn’t it? Why is that? I think it is because we don’t intentionally carve out space for things that matter.

Be Intentional and Notice Things

 

The art of living beautifully is a practice and it is purposeful. Art doesn’t just happen, does it? The artist collects materials and sets aside time to create. I found that I wasn’t doing this purposefully and consistently. And even now that I know I should be finding and cultivating joy in my life, I still get curve balls and forget to do it.

Living beautifully is an art…it is a practice…it is purposeful. Most of all, it is journey of exploration. It is intentionally taking the time to notice and reflect upon the things that bring you joy.  This blog category contains things that I am playing with that bring me joy.

6 Comments

  • Jillian Montesinos

    So true! We all need to be purposeful about finding and creating the beauty we want in this world. Great post, can’t wait to see the beauty you’re creating.

  • Sharon Elin

    I loved this post! It was inspiring and uplifting. This reminds me of another worthy life goal that a Yoga instructor taught: MINDFULNESS. It’s quite similar to Living Beautifully, in that it encourages us to pay attention to the world, ourselves, and other people more carefully and thoughtfully. Mindfulness and Living Beautifully are not automatic, as your post points out; they require effort and intentional focus. The opposite dispositions are often too automatic — we give in to selfishness that narrows our vision, apathy that paralyzes us, and quick surrender to negative feelings. Mindfulness keeps us open to new ideas that are not our own, open to the love and joy from other people, and open to possibilities and change. It’s a fascinating experiment to ask ourselves: What happens if we really pay attention to the world around us and the details we usually overlook? What happens if we truly listen to someone else without thinking about what we’ll say next? If we try to Live Beautifully and Mindfully, we’ll recognize the joy and beauty in the world around us, peel away our selfish filters, and live life with more open hearts.

  • Sally Dobyns

    Jana,

    You exemplify living beautifully. I enjoy being a witness to the parts of your life you so graciously share:).

    Is this lovely table setting and view yours?

    Sally

    • Jana Burch

      Hi, Sally. Yes. This was our front porch in Virginia on Easter Sunday 2013. A few minutes later, a man driving a repurposed box truck would pull into our driveway and ask if we were the people selling tomato plants. He did a u-turn in our driveway and left. We all wished that he had asked if we had any Grey Poupon Mustard.

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