Why is Art Important?

Art is important, it just is. To fully understand how it is still important today, it is essential to understand just how important it was in the past and how it shaped generations.

It is easy to forget how lucky we are today to not only have the technology to enhance our creative ideas, but the means to access these tools almost constantly. Art and the expression of art was something that century’s before us had as the only way of expressing themselves. Art shaped and changed generations, it influenced people, created freedom, and provoked people. Art as a singular institution pushes boundaries, it forces people to think bigger than themselves, it pokes the bear, it breaks down walls, it moves people, it creates icons, idols and individuals.  Art can be an extremely private and personal thing, it is to allow someone’s interpretation of a preconceived notion we already have and the chance to let them change that idea or be open to seeing it differently. Art can bring cultures and people together that may not have necessarily done before, through a shared experience of finding beauty in someone else creation.

To me Art form all generations is not only important but necessary for myself and all creative students. We would not have the formation of ideas in our head if it did not have a shred of inspiration from what we have seen before, it may be subconscious, but Art is everywhere, and whether we like it or not every bit of art that we have seen has contributed to the ideas we develop now.

When creating and we encounter a creative block, viewing other artists work is the most perfect avenue for becoming inspired again. To look through and to understand another artists mind set challenges ourselves to try and creative something just as good if not better. Appreciating different forms of art such as Realism, expressionism, Formalism etc challenges us as creative individuals, it may not be something we choose to create ourselves, or have hanging in our homes, but to learn our own personal taste from what we like and what we do not like shapes the end result of what we create.

I think it is extremely easy to forget these once individuals enter corporate life. In order for us to become great at what we do we must learn from others, to acquire this knowledge we must stay aware. You may not necessarily have to sit down with 10 art books at a time, but look up people in your field you work, keep your eyes open when your walking around for inspiration,  listen to people when they share their ideas. The only way we can acquire knowledge is to be open to learning, then hopefully one day you can pass on this knowledge yourself.