What is Art?

Recently my concept of what art is has been challenged.  Let me digress a bit, at the start of the year I made a decision to read more.  I set a goal to read at least one book a week.  To date I have managed to do so.  These books range from non-fiction to fiction and of course include photography books, business books and many more.  Currently I am reading Seth Godin's book Linchpin.  In that book he poses the question of what is art and challenges you with his point of view.  Godin maintains that Art is the ability to change people with your work.

At first I was not sold on this concept but as I read more of his thoughts I find myself being swayed by the idea.  More importantly I see myself being swayed by the idea that art should be what we strive for in everything we do.  Weather it is in conversation, or handling the troublesome client on the phone.  If it is done with your whole personality and creativity it is something that stems from you and that does meet, at least in part my personal definition of art.

In of itself that statement does show a shift in thinking, "my personal definition".  Who am I to make a definition or determine if one is correct.  The answer is I am the person that runs my life and as such I do not have to accept everything that the rest of the world has accepted if I do not find it advantageous to do so.  I'm not trying to be cantankerous, just honest.  We all see the world through our own interpretations and experiences and judgments.  As such yours are different than mine.  For example I do not see all of the red spectrum.  This is a known fact for me and one I work regularly to overcome in my photography.  How you interrupt red is not how I interrupt it.  Therefore what you may consider to be an over warm image I may think is right on the money or vice-versa.

What is Art?  I know what I think it is, but what do you think it is.  If everyone has a different idea then how do we ever create measurement or shows of art.  The answer is we all make individual decisions and we deal with our choices. The thing is most people want a hand book or a set of instructions to tell them how to do it.  I've been there and done that.  Now I have, in some case still am, moving past that point of perspective.  So ask yourself what is art?  See if the answer is different for you?

(Click Here to Know More)