Daily Cascade

On Art's Influence

Prompt: Art
Write about art's influence on people. What is it about art that changes and inspires people?

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Talking about visual arts alone, I have two cousins who are true artists. Plus, at one time or another, I tried my hand at painting and even worked with a local artist, Mr. Cardiff, semi-famous at the time; he used to work in NY City and did illustrations for several magazines. But that was once upon a time. After Mr. Cardiff passed away, during sometime in late 20th century, I think early 1980's, I stopped painting. So, I can easily say art had influence on me, since my family has had several artists during the several decades of my lifetime and the last couple of centuries.

Why is art so impressive on us people, then? I think it is because art can reach the parts of us that logic alone cannot handle. Art makes us see and be seen. It gives shape to our private emotions, and while doing that, it heals our hurts. It reassures us that our fears, longings, griefs, or joys are also shared by some others.

I can easily say that art has inspired me by showing me possibilities, transformation, and beauty in everywhere and especially in overlooked places. Surely this can be said about all arts, too. In my case, even as a young person, art made me understand that the world may not be fixed and that it can be reimagined. Maybe it is that mystery in art that talks to imagination rather than demanding approval or agreement.

Art, in any area--be in the visual arts, in music, or literature--has certainly offered me something almost spiritual, something inward. I know it moved me. And possibly, what moved me, shaped me.