I am a woman and I am a driver. Sometimes I get lost & I take the "scenic route" when going from point A to B. It never fails, these scenic routes are nine times of out ten so worth the extra time it adds to my travels. One wrong turn of mine led to an hour of winding dirt roads and a 360 view of prairies that seemed to go on forever. Another "detour" took me into the middle of a busy city filled with the worn faces of the homeless and centuries old architecture. Both of these scenes, beautiful in their own way, reminds me that the most direct way from point A to B is seldom the most enhancing.
We now live in a world where commercial appeals, ideologies, and group think have kept us from understanding who we are, how to communicate, and how to feel. We are caught in a rat race to the top of the corporate ladder, not enjoying the view on the way up. We have forgotten how to explore, to search for new information within us and around us and this shows as you walk among society today.
Art, like getting lost taking the scenic route, helps you rediscover the forgotten value of exploration. Art creates sparks in scientists and engineers, in the wounded and broken. With art you can see the world from a new perspective; Your mind becomes free. Art can unlock the chains of traumas and other stressors holding you down. The ability to express creatively what is so difficult to articulate brings humans together because it is all based on our experiences.
Let's face it, our very existence makes zero sense on a fundamental level. Being a human is a crazy experience and how else to dive into the wonder that is us if not for art? It allows us to really contemplate, reflect, and give thought to the reality of our existence. Everything we do is a transformation from how we perceive our awareness into how we view life and this creates the foundation of our emotions and what we believe in. The art you see, the poetry you read, and the music you listen to stimulates a personal understanding of them. This perception and understanding is controlled by the context in which observations and evaluations are made thus affecting the meaning we take away from them individually.
Change and creation go hand in hand. An awareness has to happen for things to change and art is the medium in which current paradigms in society can be challenged. Alternatives to the way our system works can be stimulated by using art to break down the social boundaries in place. There is a power to influence the opinions of others through art, reflecting what exists, has existed, and the future of existence.
Reflecting history, art can be useful in how we learn about the world around us through the changing cultures and manifestations of society. It is a documentation of these changes and a guide on what has worked and what hasn't and in a world that seems full of hurt humans, it's apparent change needs made.
Art can have an extremely beneficial impact on our well-being and how we make decisions in life, which in turn is a positive for society; It heals and makes us more competent. It is shown that when you observe art or listen to music your brain fires the same neurons as the artist did when they made their art thus creating new neural pathways, stimulating inspiration in the observer. Art can also release dopamine, making us happier and leading to less depression and anxiety which helps a person's overall mental well-being. Furthermore, it allows us to tap into emotions otherwise not accessible and helps us process these emotions, eliminating barriers and helping us communicate better with one another.
It is in our nature to be creative and as life evolves we should embrace the ability we each have to stimulate ourselves and society through our creativity. We can influence others, we can motivate others, and we can spark change. We might even be able to save the world through art...
Art cannot change the world but it can contribute to changing the consciousness and it will be the driving force of the men and women who will change the culture.