What is Art?

When people hear “art” the typical reflexive implication often seems to be an idea of visual creation such as painting or sculpture or photography. With a bit more consideration this extends to things like creating music, which clearly has an artful essence with any such enjoyment accompanied by palpable passion. But these things can be done in ways that are not considered artful and there are countless other focuses which, upon seeing someone practice in such a way, inspires to say that there is an art to what they do. When someone does something masterfully and creatively, they are considered an artist. Is there really anything that cannot be done in an artful way?

So what is art?

The common thread I see weaved through all artful endeavors is a consideration of intricacy—how various dynamics shape the form. To practice art is to delve into the details of what make something what it is, to the extent that the components are orchestrated with intent.

Going more deeply into an art—acknowledging and studying how various components shape the form—leads to realization of further reaching interconnectivity. There are the primary factors, shaping the creation which is the focal point, but each of those factors are shaped by other influences and even the creation of focus goes on to affect other things—not just physically, but also influencing perception, generating ideas which lead back into alternate manipulation of physical forms.

So when I say I’m an artist, while I have my common focal points of practice, I mean to say that I indulge in careful consideration of detail and follow trails of interconnectivity. Ultimately, an artist is the art and everything they give sufficient attention to becomes an extension of artistry. The performance transpires through the entirety of how life is navigated. If I don’t give integral parts of my life sufficient consideration and practice, other parts of my life are affected. As with all things, it’s a balancing act.

Crucial life lessons can be found within the practice of any art form and applied to others. Just as any art form is merely a concentrated segment of the entirety, these lessons reach well beyond the practice itself. I am an absolute novice in the technicalities of painting. I’m not good at shading, depth, or really depicting much of anything intentionally. I like to just make marks and trace patterns, I get lost in the colors and how they make me feel. All the while, I am constantly practicing moving forward, beyond hesitancy of obtaining some sort of perfection. And when I make a stroke that strays from my intent, I let it show me just what it has become and navigate from there, to discover what it’s becoming.

Art is the practice of attuning to intricacies composing form. Beholding the details and playing with the components to articulate possibilities is what distinguishes surface-level practice and use from an art form. Intuition regarding interconnectedness of everything.