Art is a form of expression that transcends the physical world, which science aims to capture. It reaches into the soul, conveying emotions like happiness and sadness or evoking ideas that are impossible to communicate through words alone. In fact, art is so essential to human culture that historians have found it is one of the basic tenets of what defines a people as a society! Along with writing, cities, religion and social structure, it is what sets us apart from animals.
But, despite the emotional power of art, many of us have trouble distinguishing it from everyday life. After all, what is the difference between a grubby stuffed animal your kid made and a beautiful painting on the wall? While it might be more fun to think of art as something that needs to be hung in a gallery, the truth is that art is all around us. Whether we’re looking at the Fort Worth water gardens, the iPhone, the Call of Duty video game, floor rugs or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, our lives are infused with art.
And if we’re lucky, we might get to see art in person. This can be a wonderful experience for everyone involved, as it allows the viewer to take in the beauty of a work first hand before letting their minds interpret it. This means that artists must not only understand the technical aspects of their medium, such as color theory and how to apply it effectively, but also have a strong grasp of the world and its experiences to be able to translate these into a visual representation.
Artists are open to learning from all sorts of sources, whether it’s from science journals and nature documentaries, poetry and books, foreign cinema and music, or even pop culture. They use all of this knowledge as a way to broaden their creativity, adding a new perspective that can be applied to their work.
It’s important for artists to know how to market themselves and the work they create as well, which requires a certain amount of business acumen. For example, they may need to find places to display their art or design promotional materials such as business cards. They might even need to do some public speaking if they want to sell their works.
Art can have a huge impact on society, influencing everything from political movements to fashion. It can make us laugh or cry, evoke ideas and thoughts that are difficult to express through words and create empathy for those who have been hurt by violence and oppression. For instance, street artist Blu’s mural of two masked figures trying to unmask each other in Berlin caused a range of different reactions – from awe and admiration to outrage and fear.
Moreover, art can take cultural practices and integrate them into the global world without losing their identity, teaching foreigners to accept other cultures. It can also be used to fight intolerance of different cultures and race, allowing humans to move beyond their own beliefs and learn about other perspectives.