As an “artist” over the past twenty years, I’ve mainly thought of art in terms of my own particular experiences in creativity. However, in this post - What is Art? A Rhetorical Question, I would like to propose the idea that art defies any one particular definition. If I were to ask family members, friends, other artists, teachers, or even strangers the rhetorical question: What is Art? I would get many definitions. Each person would respond based on their own perception of what art means to them.
Any dictionary definition falls short in defining the term completely for me. I see “art” everywhere: It’s impossible for me to “not” see art in every aspect of my personal life. The chair I’m sitting in to write this post is a work of art. The meals my mother-in-law cooked for us involved her particular way of cooking. This was how she expressed her creativity. It was her art. We all know persons who have the “art” of conversation. That person who knows exactly the right thing to say in any situation. That person who is able to carry on a conversation about any subject whether in the presence of a king or a pauper.
In my own life, my view of what art has expanded and evolved. I no longer say that art is only for the professing artist or for the highly creative individual. Before going forward here, let me say this: Every living person is a creative soul - whether they think so or not. Have you ever heard someone say that they are not “creative”? That they don’t have one creative bone in their body? Nonsense! The truth is this: Everyone is “creating” something at every moment. Every thought is a creative act, every word we speak is an act of creation in the Universe. There is art involved in the creation of everything and in every facet of life. And even the forming of the Universe and the planets involved a form of art that continues to paint the picture of our existence. We are all participants in the greatest work of art ever created. And we, ourselves, are magnificent, living works of art.
