Words won’t cut it; be creative this Valentine’s Day!

Creativity and art is an important part of Valentine’s Day. After all, you can’t tell the holiday is even nearing without the red and pink decorations everywhere! And you can’t forget the hearts!

Creativity and art have been of great importance to many traditions and cultures. It is how they represent their power and cherish memories. Sudan for example, has a great reputation for using art as a major method of resistance to unjustifiable government interactions towards its citizens. 

In Sudanese weddings there is this tradition of “anointing” the bride and groom with scented oils and powders in what they call, Jirtig. The groom usually wears a red band around his head with a golden crescent placed in the middle, while the bride is draped in red fabrics and golden headpieces and such. All of this echoes the ceremonies of tribal royalty, such as Queen Amanishakheto, the warrior queen of Nubia, or the Meiotic kings. It shows that everyday people are deserving of royal treatment. 

Another example of meaningful art can be found in Palestine. Palestinian women would embroider their garments, documenting their lives, the land, and the architecture as a means of telling their stories. 

The Keffiyeh scarf, for example, resembles the Arabic quote, “min al bahr il an nahr”(also known as, “from the river to the sea”). This scarf is patterned with olive leaves and fishnet patterns. Two things that are indigenous to the land of Palestine and its people. 

But sadly, as much as art is beautiful it can be quickly susceptible to destruction. Destruction can erase memories and break hearts. Whether you’ve found love or were left heartbroken, art can be used to express your feelings. 

Documenting your feelings in art can explain what words cannot. 

You yourself can be art. What you wear, how you act and speak, in and of itself is its own art. Cherish and protect those you love, hearts were never meant to be broken because memories were meant to be kept. Make something worth remembering this Valentine’s Day!