I’ve been going to art museums for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I took one glance at the art and immediately moved on. I didn’t stop to consider a deeper meaning, the historical context, and I just didn’t really think about the deeper implications art. I saw the pretty colors, the bold shapes, the size of the work.  A little kid isn’t really expected to think about the deeper meaning of art. Just seeing art at all was a great place to start, and I’m thankful that my parents exposed me to such a thing at a young age. Now that I am older, I am able to appreciate art in many different ways. There is so much to be learned from one piece of art, and it truly helps to enrich my life.

One of the best feelings in life is the moment when inspiration dawns upon you. You could be sitting at a random desk, and suddenly — a random idea pops into your head and takes root. It continues to grow and grow, until you are left with a beautiful outcome. I love to draw, paint, sculpt and challenge my hands and brain in many different ways. I love being inspired, and taking the inspiration and turning it into a tangible thing that both myself and others can enjoy. Creating a work of art takes incredible persistence, which is something that I could use a little bit more of in other areas of my life. I’ve spent days working on one piece of art. A recent piece I just painted took me around 8 hours to complete, spread out over the span of a week. The piece required paint layering and lots of intricate details. When I finished that piece, I was so proud of the work I had just done. An idea had taken root and grew into what I considered a masterpiece. Granted, I do not have a formal art education, and I could not tell you what I did in technical terms. I enjoy creating for the sake of making something beautiful, something that holds meaning to me.

I paint and I draw  because I love doing it.  It’s frustrating when the eyes are uneven, or the shading is off, or I just smeared wet paint over an area not meant to be painted yet. It’s annoying when things go wrong, but it gives me an opportunity to assess what went wrong, correct my mistakes and move on. When I paint, I put on classical music, I shut the rest of the world out, and I immerse myself in the art. The only problems that are valid in those moments are ones pertaining to what I am creating. I am able to relax, and I am only focused on the subject I am painting. The creative aspect of art has also transferred over to other areas of my life. I am able to find new solutions to problems that arise every single day, and I am constantly challenging my brain to DO more, to THINK more, to BE more.

Art has also helped further my understanding of history, and how different societies have been shaped. People create art for propaganda, such as the Roman Column of Trajan, or the create it for religion, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza. Art allows people to place meaning in everyday objects, to create new sculptures, statures, pictures, vases, plates and anything else that may be decorated and adorned. Art gives people an opportunity to express some of their innermost feelings and turn those feelings into something tangible. Creativity is one of the most important things a human being can have, and it helps to transform our society for the better. When we create, we are allowing ourselves to make something wonderful, to challenge our minds to think outside the box, to find new solutions to problems, to create beautiful things, to do something different. Creativity allows us to become something better, which is a truly marvelous thing.