What Is The Point Of Art? Do You Value It?

[ParanoidAndroid]

So, my life purpose, or one of my main life purpose's, is to be an artist and make my living from making art. However, sometimes I wonder what the point of art is and how much value it really provides to society. We live in a society that doesn't give art a lot of value. When I think about it I know that it does create a lot of value but I would love to hear what other people on here think about art? How important to society is it? What is it's purpose? Is there any art that inspires you? What's your perspective on art? You don't have to be artist at all to answer this (though you can be of course), in fact I really want to hear a not artist perspective. By the way, I'm talking specifically about fine at, i.e painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video art, performance art etc - basically anything you might find in an art gallery.

Thanks  

[mostly harmless]

In art the experience of life from an individual perspective in the moment of its creation –which can not be put into words– can be expressed and communicated via aesthetics and therefore be shared with other people. 

Great art can change how people see the world.

Aesthetics is a domain of philosophy. Maybe you want to check out a lecture or two at youtube and read essays, books on that topic. I have no doubt that this will help you form your idea of what art is in general, to you in particular and what you may want to express and achieve through creating art.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by mostly harmless

[ParanoidAndroid]

On 24/03/2017 at 7:11 PM, I_Like_Thing said:

Some of these artist communities I live by are Forestville and Sebastopol, California. It's like San Francisco in the late 1960s here, and people sell their art (everything from music to sculpture to paintings to clothing to crystals to pelts to skulls to you-name-it) on the weekends in areas set aside to do so. There are also a lot of art galleries, small shops where the owners are thrilled to host the work of new artists, and anything else you can imagine. Most of California is "liberal", but these areas are super-ultra-liberal with cherries on top. There are festivals here at least once a month, from amateur music, to food and beer, to you name it. 

Sebastopol, because of its large artist community, as what happens frequently, you get rich people who want to live near by so they can be like artist-groupies. This is a hippy community with half the population now wearing suit and ties and driving BMWs, but who break out the tye-dyed T-shirts on the weekends. Because of that, the area has become somewhat gentrified over the past decade.

But Forestville is still reasonable because it's more rural, and it's where newer artists are retreating to who can't afford Sebastopol (but it's still close enough by that they sell work there). Many people are self employed and work out of their homes creating all sorts of art. There is a guy who welds sculptures out of junk metal, and you can see his work all over the area. There is a 10 foot high metal cow a farmer bought and put it on his farm, and you can see it when you drive by on the main road to Forestville. There is a 10 foot high dog sculpture in front of the animal shelter too. Everything is laid back here, and you won't find a single "Make America Great" sign anywhere within a 500 square mile radius.

I love Forestville; it's somewhat rural, it is literally in a forest with expansive tall trees, right along the Russian river. It's gorgeous, and just driving through is a form of meditation. Some areas remind me of Germany's black forest; quiet, serene, a dreamlike quality it immerses you in, and if you close your eyes you can be transported to any place in time that pleases you, because this place seems to exist outside of time.

I almost bought a really cool house here in the hills surrounded by trees. It was handbuilt in wood by an artist in the 1920s. I ended up passing because the area is so rural that every couple of years the river floods and the roads can't be used for weeks on end (sometimes people use canoos to get around town it's funny), and I needed to be able to commute to a job I had. I wish I had just done it and said fuck it back then.

Anyway, places like this are ideal for artists like you and Whywolf. Perhaps even Emerald.  Being around negativity stifles creativity--you thrive when you are around your own kind. Any "mental illness" one might think they have isn't an illness here because everybody has something going on so everyone is seen as normal--as flaws are just part of the human condition. There is no judgment in places like this, and everyone is accepted for exactly who they are (and your uniqueness is celebrated).

Those communities sound amazing! I'd love to go there someday and I'd love to go to places like California and San Fransisco in general. I'm from Scotland so America, and certain places in particular (San Fransisco, Los Angles, New York) have a certain magical sort of appeal. They have a certain laid back, innovative, free spirited aura. I don't think I could live somewhere very rural though. At least not for a significant amount of time. I love the buzz of the city and I find inspiration in the city for my art. 

I totally agree about the need to be in the right community and have like minded people around you for doing anything creative. Fortunately I'm studying at Glasgow School of Art in Scotland (I'm in 2nd year) so I'm surrounded by artists.