One last seven to celebrate the seventh anniversary of our blog. The following are considered the seven arts:
Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Music, Poetry, Dance, Performing
If you could pick one other of these to do besides writing which would it be? What form would it take? How would you envision that life?
Julie: Ahem, where’s mystery writing? Just saying. I’ve worked in the performing arts, so I feel as though I know that world. I’d like to paint well. But being a sculptor would be really interesting. Completely out of my comfort zone, which would be the point, really. I’d love to live near the ocean and have a studio where I create epic sculptures that people have no idea of their meaning but they feel compelled to buy them. I’m imagining myself with chainsaws and welding torches. And crystals.
Jessie: You dazzle me, Julie, with your vision! I would love to see you doing exactly that! As for me, hands down it would be painting. I have mentioned here before that I have started to sketch in watercolors as part of a 100 Day Project. In fact, today is day 84! I have enjoyed it so much I am planning to start in on a 100 Days concentrating on oil painting starting June 14! If I like it, I can see myself rewarding myself for a good day of writing by painting en pein air at the seaside in the warmer months and at an easel in a light-filled indoor studio in the colder ones. I already have a space in my home in mind to set up!
Edith/Maddie: Both of those sound wonderful, Julie and Jessie, and I can picture you at them! I often thought when I retired I would do community theater. But since I’m not retired… Oh, that’s right. We’re dreaming. Then I would like voice training (and a naturally beautiful voice), and be able to make people happy by my singing. Let’s throw in cello lessons, too, which I abandoned at the start of ninth grade. I could sing and play the cello at the same time!
Liz: I always wanted to be able to sing and dance! I think I may have been a performer in a past life…but none of that talent has carried over. When I was kid, my mother was kindly asked to remove me from dance class so she wasn’t wasting her money. But I love music and if I had the talent, that would be my other creative endeavor for sure!
Barb: I’d love to be able to sing. Even more, I’d love to be able to write songs. People who can tell a story and convey emotion in 3 minutes floor me. So much admiration.
Sherry: As a child I wanted to be a ballerina. One of my best friends took ballet lessons and I adored her beautiful pink tutu. Plus there seemed to be a plethora of ballet focused books when I was growing up. Boarding school and ballet? Be still my young heart. But my adult dream would be to conduct the Boston Pops or some similar type of orchestra. Getting all of those talented musicians to work together to produce something magical would be amazing.
Readers: Which of the seven arts would you choose and why?
Music, but my ukuleles are gathering dust during the lockdown as I read-read-read to finish the waiting ARCs.
Julie is learning to play the ukulele!
Good for her. I play the baritone. I assume she is starting with one of the standard ones.
I love to sing. Unfortunately, no one–not even my cat–likes to listen when I do. I used to think I’d like to paint or at least sketch, but an art teacher in high school convinced me that wasn’t an option. (Liz, I feel your dance class pain.) Speaking of dance, that would be it. Dance is my preferred mode of aerobic exercise. My mom and dad met at a dance, so it’s in my blood and DNA. Not saying I wouldn’t get booted out of a dance class too, but as long as no one is watching, I’ll be boogie oogie oogying around the house.
My parents met at a dance, too, Annette! My mom’s sorority threw it for the men in uniform in WWII, and my father had been assigned to study Italian at UC Berkeley. Go figure, they sent him to the far reaches of India to relay radio messages. I can picture you dancing around the house. We should boogey sometime!
That would be a hard decision for me because there are two that I would love to do. Architecture because when we lived in California when I was in school, I was able to take drafting and loved it. However, when we moved back to Arkansas where education isn’t a given (we had to pay fees for classed, buy books, rent lockers, etc. in high school), my parents couldn’t afford what it would take for me to take drafting even if it had been offered which it wasn’t. When we built our last two homes, hubby and I drew up the floor plans completely and I loved that. The second would be painting. We love photography and capturing what we see with the eye. I think it would be fabulous to be able to carry it a step further by painting it. However, I am far from artistically inclined.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
That is so cool that you did the plans for your houses!
Architecture would be my choice. When I was majoring in environmental studies at the University of Waterloo, we were in the same program/building as the architecture students. But I rarely interacted with any of them since they were always working in their design cubicles in a separate part of our shared Environmental Studies building.
When I travelled to different cities I am usually drawn to the local architecture. In Ottawa, we have plenty of interesting historical; buildings that mix with the modern buildings in the downtown core where I live. I know there must be good architects at work but I am rather bummed out by the boring glass towers and box structures that seem to be springing up all over the rest of Ottawa. Surely, we can do better than this?!
Glass boxes are probably cheaper than interesting, but I agree if is fun to spot an interesting building.
I would choose music. While I would never want to give up that unfulfilled desire to write mysteries or thrillers, the other passion of mine is music.
If I was suitably talented (I’m not) I’d be a singer. Or at least that’s what I wanted to be as I grew up in the 80’s and heavy metal ruled the world. Times change of course and there’s the fact that I can’t carry a tune in a bucket but the dream dies hard.
But then there’s the singer-songwriter musical vein. I’m a huge fan of musicians like Warren Zevon. I’d love to be able to write and sing songs like he did. They were books until themselves in a way.
I’m going to look Warren Zevon up.
Sherry, I’m sure that once you listen you will find that Warren Zevon is someone you will never stop listening to.
I love theater, so I would definitely choose performing.
I can see your name in lights!
I would love to be a better dancer. Took ballroom dancing for years and love the feeling of whirling around the floor. But my hubby has 4 left feet (I swear) and hates to even try. So, I just dream of it at this point.
My husband and I took ballroom dance lessons too. It was fun — my husband only has three left feet.
Painting. I took a few art classes before but never really invested in it. There’s something soothing about putting brush to paper (or canvas).
I haven’t an ounce of painting ability in my body. I so admire people that do!
Happy anniversary! I’d definitely pick dance. I used to joke that in another life, I want to come back as Janet Jackson’s backup dancer. Like Annette, dancing is my favorite way to exercise. I have a disco ball in my workout space. How cool that your blog is seven years old! 🙂
“In my workout space” – you have a workout space in your house? I am jealous!
While I used to do oil painting, I would chose dance. I dance along to Dancing with the Stars, The Voice, and any show with a good theme. Missing Hawaii 5-O and the CSI’s. Oh, and my parents met while square dancing.
I have 18 hours in Graduate Architecture, eight years of dance and was in Theatre all of College so I am going to pick Painting…I would love to paint lovely portraits and if I had a second choice singing…I would love to be able to sing…all of it is such fun…
Marilyn
This is a really fun question! I would chose music despite my lack of talent on the piano. It would be enjoyable just trying to get better, and I would get to listen to all sorts of wonderful music performed by others.
Getting to listen to wonderful music is a bonus!