Art is...

Art is... a question mark in the minds of those who want to know what's happening.  ~Aaron Howard

This post is not meant to be a rant, although it may sound like one. This blog is designed to make people think about a subject in a different light, or perhaps put you in someone else’s shoes. At times, I feel like I’m ranting because I generally talk about something that is bothering me, or something that made ME think. I write in hopes of changing at least one person’s perspective, I want to broaden their horizon. Today, it is all about art.

Recently I have become more in tune to my artistic side, something I always knew was there, but never had to use it. I have come to appreciate art as if it were the greatest thing since sliced bread or peanut butter.

This is where my questions begin to surface and I become flustered with things that I don’t understand. Do I think too deep? Or do I just think, and others don’t?

Just like many things in life, I feel, art is highly underappreciated, and to many, unappreciated. People fail to recognize the beauty of art, whether it is architecture, paintings, drawings, pictures, tattoos, sculptures, etc. Everything around us is art and art is all around.

Why is it that people fail to recognize the true beauty that coexists within a single frame? Each line, brush stroke, pixel, etc. means something significant to each artist. When we don’t stop to recognize the beauty in each individual segment of the art, we can’t appreciate it like we should; as it deserves to be appreciated.

As a professional photographer, it bothers me when someone quickly flips through a photo album of my photographs. Something I put so much thought into, and countless hours of editing, composing, and developing thoughts, that someone can flip through in under two minutes.

I had a conversation with an artist a few weeks back where we discussed a painting he was working on. He said, “It’s a button.” However, the plaque underneath the painting would say, “It’s not a button.” Such an interesting concept that many people may not recognize or comprehend as an artist does. It’s not a button…it’s a painting of a button.

The point is this: Art is a passion that many people share, and if you don’t share it, at least try to recognize and appreciate those who do. Stop and stare at a picture or painting that you pass daily; you will be surprised what you find that you didn’t notice in the past.

Art is beauty in its purest form…recognize!

When you’re me, you think about it.