by Miriam Slater

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: January 07, 2009

This is a guide for those of you who are proficient in the arts from a technical standpoint and would now like to put some magic or "soul" into your work. To give your work soul is a personal process for each of us and is hard to define, but the following ideas can help speed that process and help take your work to a deeper level. The soul or "spirit" of an artwork is an intrinsic factor of art and while it has no visible structure, it is still something that needs to be addressed for an artwork to be truly complete.

First of all, what is soul, that magic element that your audience senses but that has no real form of its own? Soul is the spirit you impart into your work. Like the emotion love, it is something we all know exists but words can never really convey its true essence. Even if one is not sure what soul is when it comes to art, we can easily sense when it is not there because the work feels empty. An example of soul-less art is the art seen in hotels such as the mass produced landscapes, bullfight scenes and bland still lifes done in pastel colors. An example of art with soul would be a Mark Rothko abstract painting, a Rembrandt portrait, a Degas ballerina, a Rodin sculpture or a Joseph Cornell collage. Artists like these never fail to touch the soul on a deep level.

To develop a more soulful quality in your work it is necessary to surround yourself with that which you wish to be. Great artists from the past have always understood that "you are what you are around" and made it a point to be around the best. If you are around excellent art and inspiring, accomplished people, these qualities will start rubbing off on you. Conversely, if you are surrounded by mediocrity, your work will not improve, in fact, it could get worse. It helps to go to museums, attend high profile art openings and surround yourself with beautiful images. Urban areas are known for their sophisticated art and culture, so it may be necessary to move to the big city for a while or go to a university with a strong art department.

All great art begins with a strong emotion or feeling. If you are not in touch your feelings the amount of passion available to your work will be diminished. Passion is the fuel of art process and it drives us to achieve our very best. Without passion, no matter how technically brilliant your work is, it will end up leaving the viewer with a cold, unsatisfied feeling. Passion is something that cannot be faked, so it is essential that you know yourself at a deep

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