Art in Latin means "skill" or "craft" and it is generally accepted to be "the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge, most often using a set of skills, which from concept to creation adheres to the "creative impulse" of the maker." As centuries of art study reveal, art has taken many forms and has touched upon many disciplines. From the creation of a painting to the design of a video game, art is now a much more generic term used to describe many of today's human creations. Whether or not you consider yourself to be an artist or have an artistic nature as people often claim, it is interesting to discover that your skills and abilities can help you develop products or processes that could be characterized as a type of art form. Have you ever taken a picture, created a film, painted an image, performed in front of an audience -your mirror does not count- or even found a new way to use that old pair of jeans you have kept inside your closet? If the answer to these or similar questions is yes, then you are "officially" informed that you can consider yourself as a creator or better even, an artist! Even if this statement is not one hundred percent true, you got the idea. Due to the technological innovations used today, new art forms have been developed and thus new ways for artistic expression. The birthday card you decided to create from scratch for your friend, the picture frame you decided to "transform" so as to make it a bit more contemporary, the song you recorded while playing at your garage with the band, are all different types of art forms and should make you proud of yourself and your abilities. Moving from the "classic" forms of art, like painting, drawing, sculpture, music, literature, printmaking, and architecture, to the more "modern" types of art forms, like film, photography, digital art, installation art, performance art, land art, fashion, computer art, comics, and video games, the human ingenuity and creativity found new ways of expression. People are today thrilled to discover the gratification of being able to complete the art project of their choice while using a variety of available tools. Since within each art form a wide range of genres exist, like for example painting includes still life, portrait, or landscape, a work of art can be anything, from a representational painting to the abstract wallpaper of your PC screen. Whether the art form you like belongs to the category of fine arts or applied arts, the big issue here is that you are a creator, a designer, a painter, a sculptor, a craftsman, an artisan in general. If your art will make you rich one day is a matter of talent and luck, but during your project's creation and upon its completion, you will experience a life changing realization; you will feel capable of accomplishing almost anything. After all that amazing thing is your own creation! |
