Art has long been considered one of humanity’s most important cultural forms. It can transcend mere design and craft by conveying ideas and emotions that words cannot. It has also played a role in shaping civilizations. But what is it exactly? And how does it differ from other creative endeavors?
The arts encompass an extremely wide range of human practices, from finger painting to writing literature. They’re a vehicle through which people cultivate distinct social, cultural and individual identities while transmitting values, impressions, judgments, visions, spiritual meanings and patterns of life over time and space.
Whether we consider painting, drawing, pottery, sculpture, performance or a combination of these art mediums, there are several key elements that make them all artistic. For starters, artists spend a lot of their time observing and pondering. They think about things like color, texture, shape and emotion. They also take note of the way that different materials and processes affect the final piece.
They also have to master all the skills that go into creating a specific type of art. That means learning color theory, drawing techniques and so on. They must then put all of this knowledge into practice by making their own art. Often, this is a painstaking and tedious process. They can spend hours staring at a blank canvas, page or stage, struggling to reclaim their own voice and vision.
And they must deal with the frustrating fact that, even if someone is convinced that their art is indeed masterpiece material, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone else agrees. That’s why it’s so important for the artist to have a strong sense of self-validation and be able to defend their own work against critics and haters.
But that doesn’t mean that artists live a life of luxury. The artist is still portrayed in popular culture as an imagined rebel on the fringes, immune to the demands of capitalism and soul-deadening office life. They’re a collective fantasy, heroically free of conventional responsibilities and shackled to their own creativity. But in a world fine-tuned to boosting productivity and maximizing efficiency, is it really possible to maintain the artistic ideal?