The world has drastically distorted people’s perception of art. So much so that they've started started to hire critics to tell people how to feel about pieces of art that are meant to make YOU feel something. I think we have all become critics to our own work. We take whatever we create and we scrutinize it from head to toe. When I make something, I always look it over after I’ve finished and start to see all the little imperfections in my work. But I don’t think it needs to be that way. If you make something and you put hard work into it, you should feel a sense of accomplishment and it shouldn't matter what anyone else says about it. It is really important to remember that your best is enough. I think part of the reason why I used to not share my art is because I was so worried about what people would think and say about it. Now it doesn't matter to me whether someone likes my work or not. I believe that your art is mainly outlet for you and is not just another platform for people to judge about you. Whenever I make something, I make sure that I am doing it to fulfill my creative drive and not for superficial reasons. Along with this, I think one of the many reasons why I am not fond of our education is the art programs. I dropped out of my art class last year because I was frustrated with the way it was structured. You see, they have us take these art classes in school and they claim that it will help us grow artistically and explore possibilities that we can move forward in, but then they give us restrictive parameters and expect us to conform to how they want to see our art. Not only that, but once we’ve created something to the best of our ability, they slap a grade on our art. I’m pretty sure Picasso and Warhol are looking down on school art programs this very second and grimacing. And though I passed the first semester with flying colors, I dropped the class for the second because I hated(I know it’s a strong word but it is quite fitting here) that someone felt that they could boil works of another person down to a single letter on a report card. Your creative outlet should be mainly for you and not based on popular opinion. I think a lot of people feel as though their art is not valid unless it fits into an acknowledged category. This isn’t what art is all about. In the Merriam Webster dictionary, it defines art as “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic objects”. It isn’t about impressing others or getting hundreds of people to see it. I really think it comes down to making something that satisfies our appetite to create. The next thing I have always given a lot of thought is whether or not I should share my art with people. Now I don't think deciding whether to do so is such a big deal. Share it, don't share it. That's up to you. But it is important to remember that the worth of your art doesn’t boil down to a number of likes or views. The same applies to whether you consider yourself an artist or not. The way I see it, everyone is an artist. We all have that deep drive to create and it isn't always related to conventional art. There are a million different forms of art and not all of them come out to be something you can hang on a wall. Art can be appreciated in so many different forms. Playing instruments and making music is a form of art. Dancing is an art. Writing is an art. Filming and photography is an art. Lighting is an art. Anything that allows someone to take their passion and create something with it is considered a form of art. I think it is important to remember that we have this ability to create because Heavenly Father has blessed us with those gifts. I believe that when someone recognises a God-given skill, they shouldn’t hide it. I remember once hearing that by not sharing a person’s art that person could be being selfish of their gifts. I am not saying that you should share your art even if you don’t want to. You get to decide whether to share your work or not.
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HELLO WORLD! I feel like I haven't posted in awhile. I mean my last post was almost two weeks ago but I’ve just done so much since then that it just seems like forever. So let me just catch you up real quick. First and foremost, I graduated! It was an amazing experience but at the same time it was also super weird. The whole thing just felt so surreal because I had been looking forward to graduating for such a long time that I began to feel like it would never come. It was crazy. I was a little worried that the cap wasn’t going to fit on my head (because of my hair haha) but it did! I got to sit next to some of my homies and it was so rad. I’m so glad that I got to spend that day with my friends and the fam bam. Now rewind to almost a month ago (though it feels like yesterday), I went to prom with all my homies. I’m pretty sure I had THE BEST date and to top it all off, it was at an aquarium! I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun at a school dance. Before the dance we took pictures at the beach. It was cool because my sister is pretty much a professional photographer and she took the pictures for us. Then we had a super fancy dinner at my friend’s grandma’s house because she is a pro cook. It was so rad. Our dinner group was small so it was easier to interact with people. We combined with another group and got on a party bus for the drive to the aquarium. Those buses are always super fun. The actual dance was cool because we got to dance with the fish at the aquarium! I think I might have had more fun looking at the fishes than dancing (and that means a lot because boy, do I love dancing)! I graduated from seminary a couple weeks ago and it was a bittersweet experience. I have loved getting to go to seminary every morning. I know I always complained about having to wake up super early, but it was so worth it. Seminary is probably the main reason why I have learned why it is so important to read scriptures every day. I’m grateful for all of my teachers over the past four years who have taught me the importance of scripture study.
I can honestly say that my senior year has been my favorite year of high school. When I wasn't thinking about how much I wanted to get out of that school, it was actually prett fun. I had the easiest class schedule I've ever had to date, which made it so much easier to hang out with people and not have to worry about homework. I was a lot more confident this year and said yes to doing more things with people. I became way more open to hanging out with people I wouldn't normally hang out with. It was just a really fun year. Since school is over, I’ve been able to take it easy. I’m staying home for the summer because I don’t go up to Idaho until September. I’m really grateful that I get to have the summer to relax and hopefully get a job before school starts. But at the same time, I can’t wait to get up there and have the chance to be independant, meet new people and have new experiences. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of drawing and painting, which is always rad. I’ve also started on a new project for the summer (not related to the art) but it’s not yet ready to be shared, but I’ll be sure to update you when I know what I’m actually doing. In other news, I’ve been listening to a bunch of Disney music lately. Soph and I went to Disneyland the other day and saw the World of Color show. Let’s just say it brought beck a lot of childhood memories (we may or may not have cried). For those who don’t know, World of Color is a show where they project a bunch of movie scenes onto a screen of mist. My explanation doesn’t do it justice. But it is magical. It was the perfect thing to end my childhood with. So I just thought I’d give you an update on life. Nothing too fancy today. But stay tuned for updates on my new projects! |
My name is Ellie. I am a sophomore at BYU Idaho. I am excited to live life and to share a small piece of it with you!
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