.png)
“Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” - John Lubbock, “The Pleasures of Life”
Everything is an art. Art is not just a piece of work that appears in a museum or is framed on the wall. In actuality, whether it be the act of assembling video clips to create a masterpiece of a movie; shooting snapshots of life to memorialize for eternity; or designing an exquisite, exceptional gown fit for a fashion magazine all forms of creativity can be considered an art. Not even just that -- people exercise their creative juices in the most diverse ways, like working with Legos to build a one-a-kind construction or chipping away at ice to sculpt an intricate statue. But without art and creativity, we wouldn’t have these fantastic creations. The world would be a million times more monotonous, don’t you think?
Our world would be as gloomy as the smoke-filled air that lingers above gray cities. Think of a world that lacks the marvelous feats of architecture like the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Palace of Versailles, the Taj Mahal, and the Louvre. People travel from countries on the other side of the world simply to marvel at these human-made amazements. Without innovation, without imagination, and without a passion for beauty with function, the planet we live on would be standstill.
It’s important to note that an innumerable amount of hard-working individuals would lose their source of income. In the U.S. alone, there are over 5 million workers employed in arts and cultural industries. These professions include (but are not limited to): graphic designers, architects, animators, interior designs, makeup artists, tattoo artists, fashion designers, multimedia artists, freelance artists, writers, and musicians. There are nearly 2.5 million artists in the U.S. labor force, and there has been an increase from artists making up only 1.42% of the labor force in 2006 to 1.55% in 2017.
Some people consider STEM and art to be opposites, but in truth, they work together. Many scientists owned creative minds that they used to come up with ideas to make the world better. By using art to visualize inventions and plans, amazing technology can be created. For example, Leonarda Da Vinci sketched out his views on. Without it, we wouldn’t have graphs, pie charts, infographics, and other useful media that allow people to better understand complex topics (that’s why there’s art in textbooks, after all!) Matthew Adams, Sr. Director of Product Management at Palo Alto Network (an American cybersecurity company located in California), rightly said: “The world needs creativity because problems aren't getting simpler. With creativity, we stop relying on what's always been and open our eyes to what might be.”
Sketches by Leonardo da Vinci
Not to mention, we can not forget the sea of STEM videos found online! For example, Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, a YouTube channel that discusses “scientific, technological, political, philosophical, and psychological subjects” using vibrant colors and simple yet beautiful art. Judging by the 15.6 million subscribers the channel holds, its method of combining education with animation has worked astoundingly well. While science articles and such are interesting to read, you can’t deny that their engagement level oftentimes pales to the millions of well-crafted interactive media out there.
Furthermore, art can bring local communities together in the pursuit to create something beautiful. And although you can collaborate with others on various STEM projects or experiments, you have the freedom to be yourself in art unlike in research.
Strong bonds can form through different mediums of art. There are thousands of musical artists out there, and there are even more people roaming our earth. Despite how far someone may be -- whether it be in another city or state, or even in a whole new continent! -- you can connect with them through your shared love over a certain song, movie, or other work of art. Here’s a scenario: you see someone listening to your absolute favorite song; don’t you feel compelled to gush over it with them? This is one of the reasons that art keeps you loving life: the connections and bonds that you form. Art goes beyond language barriers. People don’t need the same language to connect with each other’s emotions. Just look at reggae, K-Pop, and Bollywood!
Art has taught us to persevere and practice despite shortcomings. The mantra “practice makes perfect” applies to many things in life (although it is mainly associated with art). And as an artist, you learn very quickly that you can’t instantly become amazing at whatever you do. It takes time, patience, and dedication, just like everything else in life does.
Street art by Martin Ron https://www.instagram.com/ronmuralist/
Imagine you come home from a long dreary day and see a stunning piece of street art. It gives you hope and motivation to keep on going despite any hardships you face in the world; it makes you want to live another day just so that you can see its beauty. Let me remind you of this: “Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are all noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” - Dead Poets Society. Without the beauty and ingenuity of art, what would the world be?
Surely, a world that lacks art is a world I wouldn’t wish on anyone -- not even my worst
Cover page by Khushi Kolte
Article by Tiffani Pe
Editing by Mayda Sayanlar
Comments