12.01.25 | If your walls are still empty, read this

an argument against doubts on if art is important

---

I look at art and say - I feel it.

I make art and say - I let it go.

---

Art turns a house into a home, a city from a concrete jungle into a place worth remembering, an idea into something. Art is a way of being. It is playful and fun, and doesn't always have to be serious, but it can be that too. It tells a story of where we've been and what we love. You can tell a lot about someone based on the gallery they stage in their own home, their personal space. It's one of my favorite things to do to get to know them better.

I love visiting nana and papa's house for multiple reasons, but a big one is their art collection. The pieces play off of one another - able to stand alone, though stronger together. A common theme in the art they collect is bold, vibrant colors. Almost every piece is dancing with pops of color and energy. They prioritize their art collection so much so that the furniture they choose complements the artwork, not the other way around. When you ask them about certain works, they reveal a sliver of unique intimacy with each piece. It immediately takes them back to when they first laid eyes on the piece, what it meant to them, and into the story of how they accumulated it into their collection. I admire their taste for the arts because so many people nowadays don't own originals or prints from artists they love - maybe just a handful of mass-produced, mainstream prints from a big box store.

Nana and papa's dining room.

Granted, art collections take time and money to accumulate - art is a major investment. However, it's an investment in your quality of life and most definitely worth it.

An example: I'm a home body. I like staying home to work on art projects, read, write, garden, cook - whatever, you name it I most likely do it or have done it. Our first home had many blank walls, mainly because it was a massive 5 bed, 3 bath, two-story house, but there was a lot of space - too much space. The walls were so blank, they would demand every ounce of what energy I had left as soon as I got home from work. That house exhausted me most likely because 1. cleaning it was a full-time job and 2. I never invested in creating or collecting artwork to fill the walls.

Investing in art brings life to whatever space you occupy in the world because art is an experience. The more I create and consume art, the clearer it becomes the need for it.