Don't hesitate! Go out, express yourself FULLY!

Dan Kretschmer, is the author of a book called “Masters of the Renaissance,” which takes a look at 18 of the most important artists of the Renaissance in Europe.

He has talked about "What is Art"?

The wiki entry puts it as "The term art is used to describe a particular type of creative production generated by human beings, and the term usually implies some degree of aesthetic value. An artist makes a work of art for various purposes, such as creating an experience for others or as part of a ritual. ..."

Dan says:

To understand the art of the world we must first define “culture.”

Culture, anthropologically speaking, is everything about humanity that hasn’t been inherited biologically.

In short, it is our human expression.
... ...

Ever since man became a cognitive entity, homo sapiens sapiens, or “Thinking thinking man,” he has needed to express himself in one way or another. The origins of language could have been a series of grunts and gestures, a way of communicating thoughts and ideas in tangible ways. Long before alphabets and writing came into play, symbols were created to represent ideas, and were painted on the walls and other surfaces to convey messages. This early way of putting ideas into visible cues is the origin of art.

Art, therefore, is and has always been a means of self expression.

The power to ponder and associate thoughts and ideas, the ability to differentiate dreams from reality, and the assigning of perceived value and significance to real objects are what separates us from our chimpanzee cousins.

Since the beginnings of humanity, our feelings and ways to express them have been a staple for our survival as a species. Once the basics of communication have been established, ways of showing others a higher form of feeling must be achieved.

This is art as we know it. Individuals with their own unique thoughts are expressing it in ways their fellow people can understand.

...

The leaps and bounds of art throughout history, however, have been a challenging of such readily accepted ideals. Society as a whole has their own set of values of what is acceptable and many pioneering artists who were ahead of their time were shunned.

...

So, in a nutshell, art is what you make of it. You, as an individual, have the power to decipher art, and to express your own art in any way you see fit. Art can exist anywhere.... ....Artists of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds produce their art in their own way. Not all art is going to be as great as Michelangelo‘s David, and this is important in your critiques of what art actually is. Good art, crummy art, corporate art, scribble drawings, advertisements, finger paintings, rug designs, body painting, found art, digital paintings, you name it- it’s all art. So it is unfair to the artist to say that something simply isn’t “Art” because you don’t understand it, and it may not smile back at you like the Mona Lisa.

He concludes:

One thing is for sure, no one can predict the future, therefore it is impossible to say where the art of tomorrow can be headed.

I say:
One thing is for sure, no matter who and where you are, ART is about WHO YOU ARE!

In a survey conducted in schools, kids were asked to raise hands if they thought they were artistic. RESULTS OF SURVEY: With every progressive class, number of hands went down and hesitation in raising the hand increased!

Someone has said, "Hesitation is sin". Now, we know why there are so many sinners:-)

So, don't hesitate! Go out, express yourself FULLY!

And, raise your hand (by commenting) IF YOU THINK YOU ARE ARTISTIC;-)

[Check Dan's articles about how learning art doesn’t have to be boring, and how you don’t need TV when there’s art.]