by Alice Jones

Created on: July 11, 2011

Somewhere inside all of us there is an artist. Although this is true for everyone, we don't always feel it, and sometimes we have to take an introspective look at ourselves to find the artist within ourselves. The question is how do we tap into the vast reservoir of clear thirst quenching water that is the art we all posses in abundance?

Well we just need to know where to look to find the outlets and sometimes we have to remind ourselves how to look. Then we have to learn how to turn the tap on. Perhaps it is a leap to say that we can all draw a masterpiece. Perhaps we can, but even the masters had to learn technique. So it is a matter of tapping into our in-built potential pool of talent, drawing from the pool and learning method and technique that with practice and persistence will develop the talent into a skill that certainly will be appreciated by others.

To some extent, everything is art, but not everything will convince a critic it is good art. For that takes development and growth.

What is Art anyway?

Think about all the different types of art and ask yourself what art is and where it comes from?

Of course one of the first thoughts that spring to mind when art is considered are the visual arts that we find in galleries such as drawing, painting, and photography. Then we have contemporary art and other visual arts such as sculptures or landscape garden design, following on to urban design and architecture . We have the performing arts. Dance is an art form; Martial Arts are so named for a very good reason, for the skills learned in these disciplines enable the performer to express their creativity through physical forms.

The literary arts involve writing, editing, playwriting, screen-writing to name but a few styles. All of these are arts. There are so many different ways to find creativity and there we are getting to the heart of the matter. Software guided art and design, using graphic editing software such as photoshop or paintshop pro, this too is art. Is the designer an artist? Of course.

Is art expression of creativity? I think it is. In that sense, everything is art.

Art is in everything.

Whether it is in the way we present the food for our speciality meal, or how we landscape our garden, art is in everything and the artist in us is there at the heart of it driving our thoughts and emotions to take shape and form of expression in reality. The simple act of doodling is to some extent an art-form, if we believe it or not. It is our inner thoughts purified and expressed in the form of shapes and visual form.

How we choose shapes and colours for decorating when we allow the artist in us to surface says something about who we are as an artist and how our inspirations takes form. Whether it is flower arranging or furniture arranging, playing an instrument or putting a mix-tape together, the clothes we choose to wear or the accessories we compliment them with, art takes many guises and the artist within us can find a myriad of ways to express themselves.

 All we have to do, is allow ourselves to be an artist.

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