I used to take art for granted. I didn’t know much about it. I thought it was just a whimsical term that was not too important in this practical world.
The first thing that comes to mind would be museums and paintings. Strolling around the galleries in the museums. Staring at Van Goghs and Picassos and all the other works of art. It’s not the most ideal place to spend my time. I’m not the biggest expert on paintings and it doesn’t necessarily turn on my passion switch.
However, I’ve been trying these days to learn to appreciate art a little bit more. Art in its basic form is the ability to create and self-express. To create things that can elicit a significant response or periods of reflection. In that regard, art is pretty much everywhere.
It is in the movies that we see in theaters. It is in the dance moves that we create while dancing the samba or the salsa. It’s in books that talk about the lives of important people. It’s in the food that restaurants prepare for us. It’s in the moves that basketball players make on the hardwood. It’s in the music that singers sing, or pianists play, or rappers rap. It’s even in this blog, where I create new blog entries on a day-to-day basis.
Art is everywhere. Creativity is everywhere. And it’s one of the backbones that move forward a society. Where would we be without the ability to create? Without the ability to express yourself? Without creativity, we would not create some of the most important things in society. And this goes beyond the basic definition of art.
Tools and inventions are a function of creativity. The bridges of the world. The architecture and the buildings. The cars and buses and subway systems. The vaccines and medications. Every creation can be seen as a form of art. And as human beings, we will continue to create more and more. To hopefully progress society in the right direction.
In that regard, art is indispensable to human society. And I feel almost guilty of thinking that art is just some whimsical notion that the elite play around with when they have some free time on their hands. It is more than that.
I’ve been trying to appreciate art specifically in the form of cinema these days. I’ve been trying to take in Oscar-worthy movies and reflect on them to see how they move me and what lessons I can learn about life from each and every one of them. And it’s been a joyful process.
Sometimes, I get into fascinating discussions with friends about life topics. About happiness. About purpose. About resilience. About struggle. Great movies give you a chance to reflect and think on how life serves you. How impactful your life has been. What lessons you can learn from the movie.
And you come to terms with a greater appreciation of life. And you kind of realize that everybody is in the same boat. That there will be challenges in different forms, no matter how perfect someone’s life is supposed to be on social media. People will slip thru the cracks. People will grieve. People will struggle. People will question themselves and their decisions. That’s all part of the human experience.
And art makes you appreciate life for the greater purpose. For the ability to move the human race and provide them with fulfillment, joy, and a little bit of a mission greater than themselves. It is hard to put into words. But I have a greater appreciation of art these days.
I’m not an art connoisseur by any stretch of the means. I’m just a normal person living a normal life in a normal community. But I try to have art stretch my limits a little bit. Help me appreciate my current surroundings. My current external situations. And I try to let art move my imagination. To help me create things that can hopefully serve some sort of purpose in this world.
Everyone in this world can be an artist. If you have the ability to create and self-express, then you are an artist. You just need to tap into that latent potential and create things that you feel passionate about. That innate passion will inevitably change the world in some form or manner. And leave a noticeable impact in the lives of people near and far.
So, to all the artists out there, keep being yourself. Keep creating. Keep expressing. Keep innovating. Keep inventing. Keep supporting this beautiful community with your work and your passion. Because the world can always use more art. Because everything from here on out is a work of art.