“Creativity takes courage.” –Henri Matisse
This semester I decided to take an art class because I figured there was nothing to lose, and I can say in total honesty that there’s everything to gain. I’ve fallen in love with the visual arts and urge everyone who has the opportunity to give studying them a whirl. Believe me when I say I’m no Leonardo Da Vinci, but by challenging myself with this beginners course opened my eyes to a world I would never have been able to fully appreciate otherwise. Growing up, the arts were a fun past time but not taken on a serious level in my school, which may or may not be the case depending on the individual. However, art is beneficial. The more kids that are exposed to art the better, and I’m thrilled that I’ve had this chance. Better late than never! I’m passionate about what I’ve learned and other artists’ work, and I value this experience highly.
Art is relaxing. I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat in my dorm room cringing at how much homework I have, but art hasn’t stressed me out once. I look forward to the assignments and usually do them first because drawing, painting, and sketching put me in a good mood. Art is the breather I need, the calming activity to do before diving into a history essay.
Art is a flow state. Many people are familiar with the idea of “flow” that can be derived from multiple activities such as running, dancing, writing, playing sports, cooking, or whatever it is that makes you feel like you’re in your zone. Art has this same exact effect. External distractions fade and your mind focuses. Time passes quickly and is lost. Before you know it, you’ve been using water colors on a blank page for three hours but the page is now bursting with character. The moments spent making nothing into something were enjoyed.
Art is original. Humans like to feel special and one of a kind, like they’ve done something that cannot be duplicated. Art provides that freedom of expression and distinctiveness. Ten students can look at a painting and be asked to re-make it, but it will still be interpreted ten different ways. No painting will come out identical, even though they all evaluated the same subject. That’s remarkable and a topic that deserves to be discussed whenever an exercise similar to this is completed. Why did she choose light streaks compared to his scribbles and dark shading? These questions are raised every time a canvas is composed.
Art is a skill. People take art for granted in the sense that they don’t look closely enough at the fine details, but the story is beyond the surface level and shouldn’t go unnoticed. I view pieces differently now than I had six weeks ago. I understand the emotions the artist was feeling when he picked up a paint brush. Without much other knowledge, for example the era and year it was created, I can make connections based on color and my own initial impression. I have a stronger vocabulary to refer to certain strategies such as crosshatching. Finally, analyzation comes into play after a few moments. Is this composition direct or indirect? Were the marks crafted carefully over a series of hours or did he/she abruptly take paint to a large piece of paper and call it a day soon after? It’s intriguing to think about.
Art may not be for everyone, but it is for me and it’s worth the chance to find out if it’s a hidden interest of yours. I’ve heard on multiple occasions “Why are you spending such a long time on that? It’s just art, it doesn’t actually matter.” Art matters. What you create matters. If it is important to you, it should be important to the ones who love you. Show them what you’ve come up with. Lead a colorful, interesting life. There are no mistakes. Be daring, take an art course.
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