Whether expressed through words or pictures, artistry thrives, no matter what the medium. Like other forms of art, writing can never quite be perfect. But, this doesn’t mean it can’t be a work of beauty in its own right. Everyone has their own personal style to everything they do – whether you’re speaking aloud or adding your thoughts onto paper. Even the most basic forms of music also fall under the broad canopy of artistic expression; yes, this includes even the melodies we whistle while walking down the street.
Sometimes, we’re unable to grasp what another person tries to convey through their artistic expressions. Of course, it’s impossible for us to fully imagine ourselves in someone else’s mind; so, it can be really hard for us to comprehend what an artist truly means when they create a work. There are times where what someone produced isn’t even considered to be art to a general audience.
Sometimes, people create art simply out of boredom or just as a spontaneous act. Art might come out of a place of anger or protest when ordinary words or actions just won’t do. Other times, art is created as a way simplifying complicated things into a more tangible and accessible form. In any case, whenever someone creates any form of art, it means leaving something behind as evidence that one was there once upon a time.
Although most of us may not think so, everyone has the potential to be creative. We all have the capacity to be artistic, even though others, and perhaps even ourselves, might not always see what we inevitably produce as art. Some people believe that having an artistic mind is something you are born with and that being artistic is a sign of intelligence. But, what is considered artistic often comes as the result of taking a thing and altering it or framing it in some new and unusual way.
Essentially, if you want to know how to have an artistic mind, just think of something you enjoy. Now, twist and turn it around in your head to find some unusual way to express those thoughts. Congratulations, you have just produced a work of art. Whether it’s good or not is entirely subjective, but art is a nearly infinite spectrum.
It also doesn’t help that people can only use the forms of communication that they are used to. That’s why it’s so difficult in our multilingual world to figure out what everyone else is trying to say. We are all separated by language barriers, but non-lingual expression such as drawing, painting, sculpture, music – among other things – help bridge that communication gap.
Ancient societies such as the Aztecs and the Egyptians knew this. They knew that someday in the future, when their culture no longer remained, that other people would see and recognize their depiction of what they saw and be able to relate with them. While writing seems to be a satisfactory form of expression for some, there are advantages to other artistic mediums. For example, the human mind is much better stimulated by images; after all, the human brain processes visual stimuli much better than textual ones.
In any case, art is such an incredibly subjective medium, because one’s interpretation is so widely varied based on knowledge, life experience, personal beliefs, and unique perspective. Studying art and studying words both take at least an equal amount of imagination. Pictures just take a different sort of consideration than words.
Writers are just a brand of artist, whose palette is made up of words, grammar, meter, prose, and verse. Other artists use colors, musical notes, or physical tools to build their works. There are few that can express themselves artistically with excellent skill and accuracy, but all of us can do at least one artistic practice to some degree.
Each of us needs to practice the expressive skills we know we have, because each one of us has something to say. Every one of us has the chance to create something others may consider as art. So, being artistic simply means learning how to express one’s self in a way that others can enjoy. Not everyone has to love it, because somewhere out there you can find an audience.
~ Amelia Desertsong
P.S. This was originally written sometime in 2014, but it’s been tweaked relentlessly since then.
