As someone who had to painstakingly force himself to read Why Is That Art?, I find it very difficult to understand how I could apply the knowledge in this text to what I’m doing in the Interactive Media program – at least at first. I’ve never been the type of person who likes to get lost in art. I like a good piece of art work, but I don’t want to spend hours staring at it wondering, trying to grasp the greater meaning behind some expressionist piece. I look at art and know in my mind, despite how much others may or may not agree with me, whether or not something is art. In the same way, I can usually tell in a span of a few seconds whether or not I actually enjoy it. With that said, I really don’t have much of a desire to try and spend much time understanding of art. I just want to be able to like it. That, for me, is what art is.
I want to be able to take what I understand to be good art on a basic level, nothing too deep below the surface, and apply it to my own design. In that context, I believe it’s necessary to look at other artists and movements for guidance and inspiration. I feel the same for other professionals in my field. Every artist or professional has something they can contribute – in message or medium – to what someone else is creating. Every designer has their influences, right?
While I was not really a fan of the text, the biggest idea I took away from it was just how many different ways there are to think about a piece of work or genre or art. Even when I don’t like what I happen to be looking at, someone else always seems to have a different view than I do about it. And the artist always seems to have a different message or intent than what I inferred. Because of this, I think it’s important to keep up with what other artists and professionals in our field have produced. There are plenty of places to look for this, and any mildy competent Internet user can find it. There are blogs all over the place with art and designs to explore. If someone really wanted to make an effort, they could always pay a trip to an art museum. While it’s cliche to say, it’s definitely true: Art is everywhere. If we’re constantly looking art and evaluating the design work around us, we can make sure we’re always growing and improving as designers ourselves.