Does Art Matter?

Despite lacking any kind of artistic bone in my body, I’ve always appreciated art. Whether it was a voluntary appreciation or one forced on me by my museum-loving parents has yet to be seen. But to me, art has always been more than paint on a canvas. Art can be found in everything. It’s a cheesy cliche, but it’s true.

Now that I’m here as a student of visual media, the importance of art is tenfold. Even the things that I can’t necessarily appreciate as being products of talent (looking at you, Jeff Koons), I can see that there is artistic value behind it. Even if it’s not something we can wholly appreciate, it gives us the foundation we need to create. It allows us to be inspired but what others are doing in different mediums and then apply them to the things that we’re doing. In short, art is the foundation and inspiration behind all the things we will create in this next year.

It’s always important to know who the leaders are in the field. Even if you don’t agree with what they’re producing, you should know who they are and be able to articulate WHY you don’t like what they’re doing. This should happen for no other reason than it separates you from the people who are not serious about what they’re doing. I always want to know who is doing what in the fields I’m interested in because I’ve found that I am confident when I’m knowledgeable. Just by conducting simple Google searches to find the prolific magazines in the art world, literary world, technological world, whatever you’re interested in world can help open pathways to new ideas and new thought leaders that can help inspire and motivate you. I’ve found so much value in just spending time researching people who are doing things that are interesting to me that I can’t imagine telling someone to not do the same. By being a student of visual media, more information and knowledge won’t necessarily make me a better artist, but it will help me understand why I’m bad.