Thoughts on Art

I am not an artist. I sat through many art classes while growing up, and as much as I enjoyed working with acrylics and watercolors, and as much as I wanted to draw, it never came naturally or easily for me. I also took piano and violin lessons for several years, but never created my own music. As much as I wished I could create, I’ve realized that sometimes just having an outlet for artistic expression (even if that’s copying a painting, or memorizing someone else’s song) can satisfy creative and artistic desires.

And in spite of not being very artistic myself, I do appreciate art in a variety of forms. I love discovering new and creative music. I enjoy browsing art galleries and admiring people’s expressions of creativity. I have seen some very beautiful films that incorporate intricate and incredible soundtracks. I am motivated by creative journaling, and could spend hours looking at pictures people have posted online of their creations; I seek to emulate that sometimes in my own journaling.

Art is a form of inspiration for me. Music can help inspire me to think new thoughts, paintings and images inspire a lot of my writings, and when I look at or experience art, I’m inspired to find more ways to express my own creativity. Ultimately, though, I am inspired by art because it helps give me a new understanding of people. Art is a creative expression of thoughts, ideas, imaginings, and epiphanies, and in creating, the artists bares his soul, revealing in a very raw, very real way their pain, hurts, deepest longings, and dreams. By learning to appreciate art, I learn to understand and appreciate humanity.

I therefore view art as a very wonderful gift. Appreciating it means I can take part in the joys or sufferings of others; I can understand feelings and emotions, and art can invoke feelings in me. It also gives me insight into the Great Artist, the Creator of all things. Engaging art, by engaging in the feelings, thoughts, dreams, and ideas it invokes, helps me understand the vastness of His grace in enabling us to feel and experience both pain and joy as a means of pointing us to Himself. And by taking part in creativity, art, and expression, I come to a greater understanding of Him. (/|\)