Is art even important?
Is art important? The short answer is yes. But here’s why (the long answer).
Recently I found myself frustratingly asking: What am I really accomplishing with my artwork? Is it all just self indulgence? I’m not curing cancer. I’m not solving world hunger. I’m not stopping global warming. Bleak, right?
And then I went on a day trip with one of my besties, Kim. We oft try to get away for day trips to hike and explore so as to refill our human batteries. On this day, we ended up in Fredericksburg, which is located in the hill country in central Texas. It’s kind of a hub for shoppers of all things, and very popular with artists and art lovers. I do not usually have disposable money to purchase artwork, so I try to only shop for things I need (or my family needs). I’m very pragmatic that way (to a fault). It’s the life-time designer in me; things should be functional. Period.
That changed when we walked into Artisans-A Texas Gallery. There were all kinds of artworks in different media from different artists and artisans. A lot of ceramics. I’m not one to linger on artwork. I briefly look and quickly move on. This makes me a very bad museum-goer. Well, this gallery had me pin-balling all over the place because I visually loved so many things all at once and didn’t know where to land. I experienced some sort of electric brain-wave awakening.
And I landed on this little fella.
The form. The shape. The facial expression. His big, black eyes. The color. Oh that color! The size (fits my hands perfectly). I instantly loved this little guy so much. And he was totally affordable. But he had friends. There was a flock of these little birds placed throughout the gallery. Some were placed on ceramic tree trunks with other bird friends. Kim purchased this group of bird friends (photo courtesy of Kimberly Walsh).
All these birds were so very cute. I wanted them all. But this one little powder-puff-blue guy captured my heart. I connected with him specifically. Let me say that again. I CONNECTED with this ceramic bird for whatever reason. I knew instantly where he would live in my home. And then the sales person/owner of the gallery told us a little bit about the artist. She is a 92 year old woman who makes tons of these birds. That’s all I needed to know to further connect with this bird. Its creator is a 92 years old woman. How cool is that? Her name is Phyllis Borden. Here’s a brief bio, if you’re interested in knowing about her. (https://artisanstexas.com/artists/phyllis-borden/)
So here is what I learned from this experience. Art IS important. You don’t have to love ALL art to love art. Art exists not only as an expression of the artist, but to connect with people. (Of course, not all people connect with the same art or art form or artist.) When I connected with this bird, I felt love. I felt warmth. I felt comfort and joy. I felt the bird was playing. I felt like this little ceramic bird was looking into my soul, and telling me it’s okay to love art for art’s sake. (This is actually a 19th century art movement l’art pour l’art.)
This is a huge discovery for me. I’ve been a designer all my life, which is different than being an artist. Designers are pragmatic. We solve problems. This bird has NO pragmatic function. It’s not a salt shaker. It’s not a plant pot. It’s not a mug or a lamp. It’s not informational nor educational. All those things are good and necessary. This ceramic bird just sits there and looks pretty. It stares at me while I work. But maybe it serves a bigger purpose. In an instant, this connection I felt to this piece of art, drew me out of a funk, out of a sadness I’d been carrying because I’m not solving the world’s problems with my doodles and sketches. I needed this CONNECTION to make me realize how important art (and my art) is. And now, this bird doesn’t do anything else but simply fill me with joy and giggles every time I look at him (apparently it’s a he). With no other tangible function. That is everything!
That is what art does. It connects us to itself and to others just by existing. And in doing so, it gives us joy. Happiness. Comfort. Playfulness, Just imagine if art did not exist. No music. No poetry. No paintings. No museums. No fashion. No make-up artists. No films. No movies. No cartoons. No comic books. No literature. No ceramic birds. I mean, c’mon! The world would be without beauty and so meaningless!
So I’m happy to say that, of course, I will continue to doodle, sketch and draw, because it heals me. That’s for me. And now I truly know and understand that my doodles are more than just frivolous art. And they are not just for me. They are for you too. Not everyone is going to connect with my art. And my art is not for everyone. And that is okay. But if just one person feels and connects with one of my doodles the way I connected with this bird, then I have succeeded.