Is there enough Art in Your Life?

I've been thinking a lot about art this week, and whether I have enough of it in my own life. I'm very busy with work at the moment and have realised that this outcome orientated mindset has limited my capacity to think and reflect. Art gives me pleasure and also the opportunity to experience different realities and perspectives, so I'm going to fit in a couple of exhibitions and read more.

Art can be divisive because we have all different tastes and preferences, but I do think it is important to make time to try and appreciate the world in a different way. Alain De Botton and John Armstrong, in their book Art As Therapy, explain how art enables us to grow, reflect and evolve in our understanding of ourselves, each other, and the world we live in. They identify key emotional states that art can provoke in us:

Memory – Artists not only preserve a visual reminder of a memory, they record the emotions associated with the memory.

Hope – Art reminds us that there is beauty in the world that we can strive to see it, appreciate it, and have it

Sorrow – Art doesn’t just increase our capacity for joy, it validates our sorrows.

Re-balancing – We gain balance through art by taking a moment to observe, judge, and appreciate things we don’t normally see and our responses to them

Growth – Art forces you to react and empathise with situations that you’re not accustomed to. This is growth

Appreciation – Art helps us to revisit the value of ordinary things like the pretty colours in a splash of morning light on a tablecloth or the familiar and nostalgic aspects of old beer cans.

Below, are a couple of links to videos that give some interesting perspectives about why art remains important in our busy lives.

Why art is important - Katerina Gregos at TEDxGhent

What is art for? - Alain de Botton's animated guide

Can you find more time for art, in your busy life?