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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There isn’t anything much better than walking along the beach on a nice, warm, sunny day. Today my family and I did just that. We strapped our puppy, Charlie to his leash and piled in the car. We drove for about twenty minutes and ended up in a little beach town. This town is known for it’s eclectic street art and styles. Everything from the little boutiques to the restaurants to the art museum screams creativity. I had heard about an area in this city called Heisler Park, where artists place their work for public viewing. The park is made up of a couple large grass areas and concrete walkways with different types of sculptures and statues along the path. It was fascinating to see how placing these exhibits adjacent to the beach helped draw more people to them than they would in a museum!
We walked along and saw a lot of diverse exhibits. Each had their own little area which were landscaped to complement the works of art. At each exhibit, my eyes were drawn to different elements within the pieces. Scroll down to see a few of my favorites! |
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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