Our True, Authentic Selves • by Lidy Baars
A Love of Art
From the time I was a little girl in Europe, I have loved art. Surrounded by beautiful
antiques in the home of my grandparents, I drew little pictures with my colored pencils,
which I taped on the wall underneath their oil paintings. I just knew they belonged
together, and I was encouraged by my mom and Opa and Oma to create (though not so
much about the sticky tape on the walls or frames of the paintings).
I think I have always loved to create art in a variety of ways, from those wobbly
little drawings at an early age, to “decorating” my dollhouse, making clothes for my
bears, making a family of plaster frogs for my mom for Mother’s Day, writing stories and
poems, and sewing clothes for myself as a teen.
A Creative Mom
I have a degree in Studio Art. After graduating I wanted to buy a printing press and
become a serious artist with a serious art career (which was all a huge “maybe”). After
the birth of my two children, though, I was so convinced that I needed to be a stay-athome mom that it wasn’t a hardship to give that dream a back seat. I used all my creative
energy to explore every medium with my girls; our house was the house where the
neighborhood kids loved to come and “do crafts” with paper, glue, paint, and glitter. I
loved every minute.
Later on, one of my children had some very serious health issues. There were
a few times when we thought we would lose her. Art became my way to stay sane.
Creating was the one thing I did during those stressful days, months, and years for
myself as a way to express my hope and faith, as well as desperation. I glued, I painted, I
doodled, I sewed, and amazingly, I found joy in the midst of the scariest time of my life
in the very act of being creative. Thankfully, the crisis passed.
All Creative Beings
Needing to start work again, art, or being creative, blessed me. My “eye” for beauty
turned into a career as an antique dealer. I started my business, FrenchGardenHouse, and
while it’s not creating in the traditional manner, I use everything I’ve learned in all my
creative pursuits on a daily basis. We all love surrounding ourselves with things that are
aesthetically pleasing, and I love nothing more than to make the world around my clients
a more beautiful place.
With every new “craft” or technique I’ve learned on my way, art has allowed
me to express my true self and wander down roads that lead to further inspiration, not to
mention connect with a huge group of like-minded friends and creative kindred spirits.
We are all creative beings. Creating something with our mind, our hands, and our
heart is what makes us “real”; it connects us to each other. Our voice, our life, and the
beauty we create is one of the common threads that weave all of us together. That is the
beauty of art, of creating; it allows all of us to be who we are, to create beauty in our own
way. Each one of us has a story only we can tell—our story.
I am grateful that art is always available to everyone. You don’t need a lot of
money for it. Or time. Even a pencil and a scrap of paper will do. Art is inside of all of
us, longing to come out and play. Art saves all of us from leading lackluster lives. It
allows us to step out of ourselves and dream, hope, and share pieces of our true, authentic
selves.
To learn more about Lidy Baars, visit frenchgardenhouse.com.
Dear Lidy, One visit to your blog and website and it is clearly evident that you were blessed with a creative heart, mind, and soul. However, I have visited your pages more than once... in fact many times over the years and each and every time I am gifted with the beauty that you share with others. I am so happy to see your story here at Crescendoh! :)
Posted by: Lana Manis | 06/02/2013 at 04:53 PM