Wk 13 — Essay 2 — Art!
Throughout the semester being in Art 110, I have been exposed to all sorts of new forms of art and expression. The meaning of what art is has been transformed and my knowledge has stretched, as I have discovered and experienced art from the perspectives of my classmates and outside artists. Art can be collaborative, or individual, allowing for many different outcomes, some expected and some unexpected, which is the most fascinating part to me — the possibility for a completely different result then what was intended, and working through the feelings that come with accepting the final product.
At the beginning of the semester I viewed art as a form of creativity, which I still see it as. But I now can see how art is almost like a window to the artist, a way for the audience to peer into the mind of the creator, and a way for the creator to reach out to the minds of the viewer. The way someone peers through this window can be specific to the person looking through it as well, meaning one person can interpret art one way, while another person may be understanding it in a very different way. Art also has the potential to reach people of all different backgrounds and life experiences. One person may deeply relate to a piece or the artist in one aspect while another person can connect through their own life experiences. This very open way of expression is so unique and important to me, and is a concept I’ve come to better understand through this class.
I am currently undeclared, but I’ve always been really into art, and recently have been thinking about looking more into either graphic design, or going a different route with architectural design. I want to be in a field where I am constantly creating and collaborating, and am able to apply my ideas and artistic side to whatever field I end up going into. I have also thought about taking a route where I can combine art and some form of creative writing into a field, which I have yet to look further into. I think having a good understanding or a natural knack for aesthetics and design is very important in any art related field.
I have always enjoyed doing art for pleasure, ever since I was a kid I have always loved to draw, paint or build things. I have also always loved to decorate and have always constantly had to change my room up, reorganizing and switching up colors. Some of my friends and I have also recently talked about starting a brand for fun, creating designs for shirts and other clothes, and I have recently gotten into embroidery. I think art has and always will be such a huge part of my life, and because of how much I have always been drawn to expressing my creative side, I think it would make sense and be beneficial for me to stick with a career field where I can always be engaging my creative side. A past slogan of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was “a great nation deserves great art”. I completely agree with this idea, I think art unlocks a deeply emotional side in people that the world always is in need of. This is such a natural and necessary thing being human, and an important way to communicate and express ourselves outside of language. In fact, art in it of itself is a language, a broad one that does not pertain to a specific culture or region. It is so broad and so universal that it has in a sense become the language that connects us all. Art is a representation of the colorfulness and diversity of our world. If art were to disappear, the world would be stripped of its uniqueness, leaving only dullness left over when you remove something so bright and essential to pushing the imagination of our minds. Being able to be creative is a right and I think is necessary to our survival.
Art has always held such a special place in my heart, and continues to stretch and grow me as a person. This class has taken this important aspect of my life and has challenged it by showing me the importance of collaboration and the ways that people’s differences and similarities can have such a huge effect on how people perceive and present art.
