ärt/ noun

What does “art” mean to you?

According to Webster’s online dictionary, “art” is something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings. But what does all of that mean? Or maybe the better question is, what doesn’t that mean?

See, “art” is everything. It’s everywhere. “Art” doesn’t need to be tangible, visible, or in any way, shape, or form, real. But at the same time, “art” must have meaning and purpose. It must exist. So, when you put it in those terms, it almost makes you wonder… what does and doesn’t qualify as “art”? And what jerk makes that kind of judgement call, anyway? I mean, I can just dream up anything I want in my mind and call myself an “artist”, right? Maybe we won’t test that theory right now, though. I want you to at least get through half of this post before you furiously X out of this tab, interrogating yourself with questions like “What the eff did I just read?” or “How does it feel to know that I will never get these 3 minutes back?”

Maybe I see something I like – let’s say I’m eating Doritos (the nacho cheese kind, obviously… by the way this is totally true and it always happens) and I pull out the most perfect chip. All 3 corners are in tact, not too curvy. Like the dime of all Doritos. I take that first bite out of one of the corners, and what I’m left with is a piece of a chip shaped like Israel. Do you know how satisfying that is to me?? – I think that ought to qualify as “art”, right?

The short answer is… right! But it’s way more complicated than that. Whether or not something is considered “art” is somewhat independent of factors like the creator or the meaning. In fact, those two factors go hand-in-hand, but mostly during the creation process. However, what you see, and whether or not it qualifies as “art”, is entirely dependent on you and how you are affected by it. And sometimes it’s not about what it is, but what it isn’t, that makes it “art”.

What do I mean by that, you ask? (Don’t worry, I know you didn’t actually ask. Sometimes, when writing in the first person, I like to imagine myself with an audience; that audience giving me constant feedback as I narrate my life almost to the tune of a broadway sitcom. Something totally interactive.)

I’m trying to say that art is absolutely anything that you want it to be. Let’s say you’re like me – don’t worry, it’s not that bad – and you look at a digital clock at 11:11. Some might see the time, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But, you might see four vertical lines and two small circles. You might see perfect symmetry. Shit, you might even see some people hanging out in the neighborhood, telling jokes and eating ice cream. A little strange, but who am I to judge? The point is, while some are seeing the time for what it is – the time – you’re seeing it for what it could be. “Art”.

This applies to just about anything in life. Barcodes, billboards, graffiti, New York City subway maps, shadows, cracks in the sidewalk. Anything you look at can be seen for what is, as well as what it isn’t. But, when you separate the reality from the potential reality, from the imaginary form of “real”, this is when you start seeing “art” in the monotony of every day things. This is when you start seeing “art” as what it is. “Art”.

So, I know this post is somewhat inconclusive and kind of all over the place. But, I’d like to end it with a challenge. A challenge that anyone and everyone can and should do. A challenge that can be on-going and never-ending. A challenge that can be both self-inflicted, as well as pushed onto other people.

The next time you are anywhere – yes, anywhere at all – I want you to look around yourself. Look outside of the tiny bubble that you are living in. Don’t feel ashamed, we all live in tiny bubbles. Look around yourself and notice the things that exist. See them for what they are, whether that be an advertisement, a street sign, some trees, the sky, garbage, the clutter on your office desk, anything! Now, see them for what they aren’t. Blur your vision and imagine these monotonous, every day items as pieces of art in the greater painting known as the world. Recognize your ability to separate reality from imagination – the potential reality – and take advantage of the beautiful things you can accomplish within your mind.

There is a reason “art” exists. Exploit it.

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