It's Just Life
Sophia Anderson
It is said that art is simply a hobby. Something of little to no importance without any real significance. Something that can be beautiful, but has no real merit or use in our lives. We hear people say this in books, movies, television shows, and in regular day-to-day conversation, but it is untrue. Art is an important and essential part of every person’s life, and without art we would have nothing.
Art is more than paintings, sculpture, and songs. “Art is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) “Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influence one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect.” (Wikipedia) Based on those two definitions art is anything and everything that we as humans do. Everything that we do consciously is for a reason, and sends a message of some kind. That message is then perceived by others, and their perception is based on the art of our message.
We send messages through the way we dress, the car we drive, the environment we live in, the way we decorate, how neat we are, etc. These messages tell people something about us. For example, dressing sloppily for an interview tells your interviewer that you are not professional and that you don’t take the time to do things carefully. However, dressing neatly and appropriately tells the interviewer that you are professional and responsible. Therefore most people would dress neatly so they could send that message. The way that they dress would then be considered art, because they are consciously putting together an outfit that influences how the interviewer sees them and thinks about them as an interviewee.
How you dress also allows you to express part of who you are. People pick out an outfit every day that expresses how they are feeling or how they would like to be seen that day. If their feeling tired and lazy they might wear sweats, if they are feeling flamboyant they might wear bright colors, if it is a special occasion they might wear something elegant, and so on. Their choice in dress allows them to express how they are feeling or what is happening in their day, and then can reveal that to others. If you look at the way someone is dressed, you can often tell a lot about them. For example, if someone if dressed in a formal dress or a tuxedo you can tell that they are probably going to or just got back from a special event, or that they really like to dress up. The art of what they are wearing allows people to see part of them that would otherwise not be shown. This does not only occur in how people dress, but in everything. Everything sends a message to others, and lets you express yourself.
Federico Fellini said “All art is autobiographical.”, and Khalil Gibran said “Art is step from what is obvious and well-known toward what is arcane and concealed.” The art that we use in our lives allows people to catch a glimpse of parts of our soul and personality that would not be distinguished if art did not exist. If there was not any art in the world, everything would be extremely uniform. People would say the exact same things, have the same opinion, write the same way, live in the same type of house, work the same job, look the same, dress the same, drive the same car, and have the same personality and mannerisms. There would be no differences in anything, and nothing would ever be able to be accomplished because everyone would be doing the same things. That is what art allows us. It gives us the opportunity to be different. To be unique. It allows everyone to have their own opinion, to have their own thoughts and feelings, and to express those to others. Art allows the world to function, by allowing people to consciously be different and to do different things. Art is present in the words that we use, the tone of voice we speak in, the way we act, the jobs we work at, the activities we participate in, the way we correspond with others, the appearance of our handwriting. All of it displays to others part of ourselves and makes them feel a certain way, see us a certain way, or think about us in a certain way. Art makes up every part of us as a person and influences everything in our lives.
Another thing that art does besides allowing us to express ourselves and effecting how we are perceived by others, is it influences the meaning of the messages we send. In the words of Georgia O’Keefe, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way.” Art allows us to express our message in exactly the way we want it to come across, and the more forms of art available for use the more clearly we can make the meaning of our message exactly what we want. For example, when writing an email you are limited to your choice of words to create the meaning that you want in your message, but if writing on paper then your handwriting, word choice, and the type of paper you use can help create the meaning you want in your message; and if you are speaking your vocal tone, facial expressions, pitch, volume, and choice of words help create a clear meaning. Speaking is the most effective way to send exactly the message that you intend because you have more forms of art that can be controlled in any way you choose. Art is the medium over which your message is sent. It is everything that influences the meaning of what you are saying. Art allows you to illustrate exactly how you feel about something. As Amy Lowell said “Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.”
As well as helping individuals on a personal level, art is also very important in industry and economy. In industry and economy art that appeals to the senses is particularly important. While companies do not necessarily need to create certain emotions or reflections within consumers, they do need to make sure that their products or services appeal to consumers. To do this companies and businesses spend thousands of dollars to acquire a logo design that the general public will like and recognize. “If you can recall products by this list of logos: pink bunny playing a drum; a golden arch; or White sparkling castle with Tinker bell as the Energizer Bunny; McDonalds; and Disneyland. Then you can begin to realize the power of logo designs. There is a saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words". In business, the saying should be "A picture is worth a thousand dollars".”(Logodesignworks.com) Logos are very important in advertising, and they have everything to do with art. Logo’s (and advertising in general) main goal is to influence the consumer audience to buy a certain product pay for a certain service. Logos and advertisement are created with the purpose of convincing people to go spend money, making the appearance of those logos and advertisements essential. Companies use mainly sight and sound when advertising. They use catchy jingles and slogans on the radio to catch people’s attention, and flashy logos and commercials on television. They do everything they can to catch the public’s attention, and art allows them to accomplish this.
As well as using art for advertising, companies also need to use art to sell things. No one wants to buy an object that does not look nice, even if it does function properly. For example, not many people would buy a piece of OSB(oriented strand board) nailed to a couple logs even if it did function as a table. Instead they would but the table made of solid oak with carved detailing on the legs. Similarly, no one would pay a company to build them a house that was only four squares walls and a roof. Instead they would pay a company to design them a house with four walls, a roof, a floor, rooms, and a porch among other things. Even though the OSB table would work to set things on or write at, and the four walls and a roof would keep the elements at bay, no one would pay for them. People like to buy things that look nice to them, as well as function. Therefore art and design are very important in business . Marshall McLuhan even said, “Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century”, and that is holding true in the 21st century as well.
Lastly art is a fundamental part of entertainment. Art is in the music we listen to, the movies and television shows that we watch, the book and magazines that we read, the hobbies that we participate in, and games that we play. All of them contain an element that is either meant to appeal to us or meant to make us feel a certain way.
Everywhere we look there is art. It is present in the buildings we live and work in, the cars we drive or pass on the road, the music we listen to, the ways we talk, the clothes that we wear, the decorations that we use, the advertisements that we see, and the products that we buy. Art is embedded in every aspect of our being and culture. Thomas Wolfe said “Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” This is true. The culture of anyone, anywhere in the world is entirely based on art. Art is what allows us to be unique individuals, express ourselves, create a stable economy, and be entertained. “It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance…”-Max Eastman. Without art our world would cease to be able to exist. Without art there would be nothing at all. Art is just life.
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