WHAT…IS ART?

Cheers all…hope everyone is having a great night out there and beating the heat. Thought I would switch things up tonight and delve into the meat and potatoes of what I do. I did have a really cool title all planned and a totally different photo and was going to channel my inner Haddaway –but…then thought it might come off sounding a bit camp. That’s not to say there won’t be some silliness here–spared no expense! ( channeling my inner Richard Attenborough instead!) So let’s get round it…

Art to some constitutes drawings, paintings, sketches, sculpture or whatever blob of goo be in your hands or on a wheel that you are creatively bringing to life. But…art can also be so very many other things that in hindsight…most don’t even think about. And there are so many ways of bringing what we consider the ‘norm’ for art to life as well. For example..centuries ago they used hair to create sculpture and paintings. And whilst some would think that was gross and unhealthy…compared to some methods…wasn’t really that bad. They did it to remember loved ones and special moments in their lives and by using the hair it made things seem more personal in a connective way. One just had to hope that no one had lice or fleas cause then people wouldn’t exactly be ‘itching’ to keep it. Art was made out of everything from clay…to mud…to stone…wood…precious gems ..limestone…sandstone-you name it. And with all types of media. That being said…my definition of art…and this is mine now…is anything created from the heart to edify and touch others or to enrich the lives of others in a more positive way. Now some would argue…where does special effects fit into this as lots of that is done in horror films and how does that seem positive? Well because of special effects…other discoveries have been enhanced…such as prosthetic devices…and in some realms of discovery…electronics and computerization.

But what else…is art? Well…books for example are a multitude of art forms. The jacket was designed by someone-crafted so perfecly…the illustrations are another…and yet the words themselves paint pictures in people’s minds to span the decades. Music is an art form…ask anyone who is hearing impaired and they will tell you that they ‘feel’ the rhythm and both they and blind individuals can paint pictures in their minds of what the music means to them. Not to mention all the rest of us can do fair well to envision a story of some sort whilst listening to one’s favorite ditty whilst curled up on a rainy summer’s night without sense or reason to do so.

Now let’s take the not so obvious …fashion…yes I said that and even though some of the runways nowdays make you wonder who is spending a little too much time with their ‘specialised’ plants…fashion is indeed an art form. The designs came from where? Drawings and sketches and were then crafted by hand and put together to be worn on a canvas…the human body. Architecture is another one…every building you have ever seen or been in at one time was just a thought floating round someone’s brain til they either scribbled it out on a dinner napkin then made some actual drawings and set to work either creating it themselves or…hiring contractors to bring it to life. But there are also little things we don’t even think about…like say the chair or sofa you are planted on at the mo reading this…that was started by ….yes you guessed it…a design or sketch. Every stick of furniture from either Ikea (oi) or the hard core stuff what be made from old school furniture crafters and wood workers…started with some sort of blue print. But what about the ones that didn’t start with a drawing? The Native Americans and Eskimos who just felt what they wanted to create and then brought it to life as they went along. Most certainly that is art.

When someone plans a garden and takes the time to arrange things in patterns and make pictures with nature …that is art. Everything bout your wedding per say…or most everything is a work of art. From the decor and flower arrangements…to the gowns , suits, and music. And let’s not forget the photography!

I hear so many people say…I’m not artistic..I’m not good at anything creative. Nope…don’t buy it.Not true…if you can create something which evokes a positive feeling for someone else and do it from your heart? Then YOU my lovely…are artistic! Even baking yet another example …have you seen some of the cakes these days? I would rather frame one than eat it! Go into any fine dining establishment…and I mean the extreme ones…and you get your food served to you in little squiggles and dots and whatnot shaped like musical notes and question marks. Heck…Me mum used to do that…well…sort of only hers was sandwiches cut up to look like mice and houses and puppies and such. But was still art…still creative.

So the next time you walk thru an old time village and go to look away from some of the stuff like the folk art or the furniture…or even when you get a spare moment and you aren’t making circles in that computer chair of yours from boredom. Stop and really look at it for what it is. Something that came from a person’s mind…got put onto a paper and then put together by hand…even if it was just the first one before the factories got hold of it and rolled thousands out on an assembly line.

And don’t get me started on cars trucks and motorcycles as well as steam punk…art forms cross the board dearhearts. Art…is all round us and makes up a good chunk of our lives whether we realise it or not. And the next time you think you aren’t creative? Think bout anything you have done…like making a dress for a little one…a Halloween costume…baking a special cake and going to town with the icing…even doing a haircut for someone if it be a certain style. We are all creations…doesn’t it make sense…that we are indeed all creative? I mean if everything be a reflection of who we are….well …I will let that sink in. Until tomorrow …may joy and laughter be yours…may safety and peace always travel with you…may you love and be loved…and always be thankful.

And once more I send love and hugs and many thanks to all those reading my stuff…I am deeply honored…your likes and comments make my heart smile and I do so cherish you all–Faith Honeybee Setley and Logan