The Simple Power of Art

You may have heard that there is power in words or power in numbers and while this is true, there is also incredible power in Art – simple, yet incredible.

Art is many things to many people. It is emotional, healing, motivating, inspiring and above all subjective. The power of art is evident in those who appreciate, create and enjoy it. As a civilization, we have created museums and galleries to showcase and honor art. Great artists are admired and emulated. Art defines times and maintains history. Without art, the world would be a very different place. The power of art is evident in everything around us.

Art is emotional. It’s about feeling, both for the artist and the collector. Artists create moods by melding colors and textures. The choices they make determine the power of their art. Certain color combinations create moods or environments in homes and offices.  People often “escape” to distant places or reminisce of times passed when surrounded by artwork they truly connect with on an emotional level.

Art is healing. Nurses and family members of Alzheimer’s patients have reported that patients experience less anxiety and apathy after visiting art museums. People also use art to help alleviate pain. Vibrant reds and yellows stimulate and excite, while blues and greens calm and subdue. Art gives people the power to create the surroundings they desire. Artwork has a similar effect on children often making them smile; elevating their mood and making them feel better about their world in general. Creating and experiencing has also been proven to help alleviate things such as depression, physical health and high blood pressure.

Art is motivating and inspiring because it enhances one’s physical and emotional space to such a degree. It makes the surroundings more beautiful by accentuating moods and deepening perceptions. Art makes people feel better by motivating them to step outside themselves to experience alternative viewpoints and express new opinions. People often feel as if they fit in better socially when they appreciate and collect art and art often adds to the perceived value of one’s living space.

Finally, above all, art is subjective. There are no rules when it comes to choosing or enjoying art. Everyone reacts to artwork differently. The key is to choose art that makes you feel good, art that evokes an emotion in you. When you choose artwork that you find healing, inspiring or motivating, you discover the simple power of art.

There are many reasons to buy art. You may want to decorate your home, buy a special present for someone who loves art, or you might be an independent collector and just wish to invest in art. Some people buy art because they think owning it will improve their social standing. Some people buy art because it reflects their values or philosophies of life. Regardless of your reasons for buying art, the reason you buy certain art will be no doubt be personal.

When you buy art, you will likely buy based on intuition. Certain pieces will evoke a feeling or a mood almost immediately upon viewing them. That feeling will either be good or bad. Studies indicate that art makes people feel a certain way and anyone who creates, views or collects art knows that is true.

An artist experiences their work differently than a collector; who experiences it differently than a gallery viewer. That is one of the reasons art is so interesting. Art can preserve memories and create dreams. A painting truly is worth 1,000 words. Buying art that makes you feel good feeds your spirit and makes you healthy. Art can reduce stress by adding to the beauty and tranquility of your environment and by projecting certain and appropriate moods.

Art is often important to individuals because it compliments existing surroundings or memorializes someone or something dear. Art can be healing, motivational, endearing or upsetting. It can move people to tears, to laughter or to rage. It is an outlet of expression void of words but deep in meaning and symbolism.

For some, art personifies strength and honor. Animals are a popular subject and certain animal artwork gives status to the owner, much like owning a fancy car would. Art as a means of pleasing the senses has undoubtedly been stimulating imagination and creativity for centuries. Meanings are often buried within symbols, colors and textures.

Civilizations, cultures and individuals use art as the depository of their history. Art makes people proud to live, work, and play where they do. They point to their museums, public monuments, and cultural institutions with pride, as they should. Art is a true storyteller of life through the ages.

No matter why you are buying art, feeling and intuition will play a major role in your decision to buy any particular piece.

Stress is a part of all of our lives, whether we like it or not.
It helps if we have artwork around us in our environments, either
in our homes or in our offices, or both. While waiting for your stress
to ease, you can focus on any artwork you have nearby. Simply–lose
yourself in it for awhile…..

Here’s an article you might find interesting:

“The Causes and Remedies Of Stress”
by Antonio Fimiani

In today’s world, many people are victims of stress, a condition that
tends to control body and mind. There seems to be nothing that can
be done about it. Many individuals are stressed out at work; there
never seems to be enough time to do all the things that are supposed
to be done. As the days go by, these workaholics end up being more
depressed than ever, they even fear going to work.

Another place where people are usually stressed out is at home. As a
parent it’s sometimes hard to cope with the needs of an entire family.
Not only they have to cater for the house but also for the children. The
latter, on the other hand, don’t always appreciate what their parents are
trying to do for them trying to keep the family together. They also end
up depressed since they don’t always get what they want. One of the
most classical elements that cause stress is connected to sentimental
or emotional issues.

At times it’s hard to identify the real cause of stress in an individual,
and the bad thing is that there’s no easy way out. Everyone has a
problem or two they would like to solve. There are many factors that
cause stress and the first thing to do before anything else is to try and
identify where your stress is coming from. Once you have identified the
cause of your stress, then you can start working on eliminating it.

When you finally discover what’s stressing you then you can find out
how to deal with the problem. There might be a problem at school and
you can’t seem to cope with the homework or understanding what the
teacher is explaining. The best thing to do is talk to your teacher and
your parents and focus on the problem instead of pretending that
everything is OK. You may be one of those numerous students that
send application forms for college hoping to be accepted but are rejected.
There may be a crisis situation at work where you don’t get along with
some of your colleagues leading to a stressful situation. What you have
to do here is first of all find out the reason for this. So instead of keeping
it inside of you, try to focus on the issue and straighten things out.

When you are feeling stressed out and the world seems to be falling down,
separating yourself from the problem and focusing on it to find a remedy
is not as simple as it seems. You need to take it easy; take time to relax.
Focus on the problem and above all be patient. Some don’t have all that
patience and end up stressing themselves even more.

Summarizing, when you are in a stressful situation the one thing you must
avoid is to close yourself up and run away from the situation that is stressing
you. This is not going to make you feel better and the result is that you will
be even more stressed and frustrated than before. What you should do instead
is focus on the problem and then you will surely feel better.