Art comes in many forms. Some believe art is everywhere and everything, while others debate the fundamentals of what makes art, art. In my opinion, art is not only a noun but an adjective. Yes, fashion, portraits, music, theater, or anything else that takes creative effort is art. But also, a stunning natural landscape is art, an organized closet and refrigerator is art. Sunsets, food, animals–anything that is awe-inspiring, I would label as art.
I used to be a super creative child, painting things for my room, making jewelry, hot gluing everything, etc. Every gift I received from ages 3-10 would be anything and everything I would ever need to make all kinds of art. But when school started to pick up, I lost the time to tap into this creative side of myself. And now, when I come home from school, I will just scroll on my phone through various social media apps and messages. But then, when I remember, I switch to the Notes app.
Every iPhone comes with the Apple Notes app. Some people have converted their reminder app to leave themselves notes, but for me, the Notes app is a diary, a hobby, and an art. I write whatever comes to mind at the time. The app is so underrated and the notes you make never delete (I think)- so I have A LOT! I’ll list a few, maybe inspiring you to create your own.
Family Grocery List: The Notes app can be shared and co-edited. At any time, anyone in the house can add to the communal grocery list. You also can use bullets that you can tap and check off each item to mark that you went to the store.
Poetry: Creative writing has always been something that excites me. Sometimes things in everyday life or something someone said will spark an entire stanza in my brain and if I don't write it down, I'll forget it in minutes. Some of these poems have won awards.
Fear List: This is such a fun list to think about. I get scared of pretty obscure things a lot and writing them down in this long list and sharing them with people can make you realize how irrelevant all of them are.
Gift Ideas List: This list is vital when holidays or birthdays come around. I add to it whenever I see something that reminds me of anyone, or when someone mentions something they’ve been wanting. I credit this list for why I’m always on time with my gifts and have been acclaimed as a “great gift-giver” by my family.
Other lists in my notes: My volunteer hours log, Christmas list draft, party guest invite lists, IA ideas, college application ideas ranked, all açaí bowls in Wilmington ranked with notes, all of the passwords to every app of my phone (you can lock notes), a list of food in Charleston, names for a bunny, fish, child, and more. I could go on and on. I LOVE making lists! This collection of lists that I’ve curated is my newest favorite form of art.
I hope I was able to inspire you to take a quick break from social media, scroll to your Notes app, and start writing. It’s so fun and healthy to be in touch with yourself (which is my rationalization for this obsession). And, if you only make one list, let it be the gift one, as it can make you a better person and friend. If anyone has an idea for a new list I should think about, just let me know, but it might already exist…
Source:
List images – browse 1,932,345 stock photos, vectors, and video. Adobe Stock. (n.d.). https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=list