Thursday May 08, 2008
Art Teaches
What is art? This is the greatly debated question, which I delve into in great detail in my book, An Artist Empowered.
Art teaches mostly what not to do: do not prejudge; do not assume, do not judge, do not falter, do not give your power away, do not give into pettiness, and do not accept secondhand information, which is what it sounds like.
Art, and it is magic art that I’m writing about, allows us to feel (not think or conceptualize with preconditions) with our emotional intelligence the presence of transcendence; in this sense, art is an artifact of truth. Why is this important? Life without transcendence, poetry, courage, and spirit is sterile.
When you have made that trip to the mountain, wherever it might be and at whatever the cost, no one can confuse you with whispers of doubt.
You sure make a strong case for me to consider.
Thanks for holding to a standard worth reaching.
I ponder what art is whenever I hear someone say things like, “That’s art?” or “My five year old could that?” or “My tax money paid for this?” or “I want a print that matches my sofa.” I usually decide I can’t judge art for others. You either see art or you don’t.
I agree. To appreciate art, which is a language, takes work; no one, for example, would expect to speak or read a foreign language without diligent effort. Art is no different.
