It is easy to see the beauty in art. Art galleries display handcrafted paintings, bookstores are filled with poetry and novels, and music is streamed and memorized throughout the world. How often, though, do we step back and appreciate the exegesis behind so much of what makes up the art industry: emotion.
In a highly stigmatized society (although we are definitely moving away from that!), we are quick to mask emotion and find it difficult to talk to others about how we are feeling. However, art has created perhaps one of the greatest tools for emotional intelligence: putting meaning behind emotions and driving individuals to stop running away from them, instead diving headfirst into what they feel. When it feels strenuous to deal with feelings, it can feel effortless to express them in writing or by drawing them out in an abstract way. Perhaps the reason so many are drawn to play a song on repeat or memorize poems or hang artwork all over their homes is because it gives them a foundation for which to appreciate what emotion can produce.
Without vivid emotions, art would become redundant. Feelings are what drive the individuality behind every composition and sculpture. People can be shamed away from displaying their emotions. The “tortured artist” stereotype causes many to believe that art is for the emotionally unstable or that one must have endured great difficulties to be great artists. But art displays joy and bliss in so many circumstances. Exhilarating novels, bright photographs, and melodic songs that make you want to drive down a highway with your windows down are all examples of how great art finds an escape out of those experiencing the highs of life.
Emotions are normal and healthy, but they’re also extraordinary. We have the unique ability to feel — to react and interact with the world around us. When we learn how to recognize and understand the emotions we all feel, we become free to express them through art and appreciate the beauty that is born through those around us.
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Photo Credits: @Jennxpaige on Pinterest.com
