The importance of art.

Books, Movies, Songs, Museums...you name it! Where would we be without them?

We, as humans, always try to find meaning in our lives. Sometimes in the smallest of things. Often in the larger, more complex things. But, this desire to find things that are intellectually, emotionally, or physical stimulating exists within all of us. It’s what drives us to make friends, ask someone on a date, start families, come together during the holiday’s. It’s meaning, and purpose. We crave it. We dream of it. We need it.

While there are certainly many ways in which these feelings are satisfied, especially in big momentous occasions filled with friends and family, I often find that the things that satisfy those feelings the most are often overlooked. Inadequately discussed. Dare I say, taken for granted.

I remember the first time I watched La La Land. I barely could watch the ending, as it felt like I was in some sick, demented nightmare of having to watch Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone live a life together that was desired by everyone who has ever watched that movie. All for it to end with her leaving his jazz club with her husband and catching Ryan’s eye on the way out. Devastating. (Disclaimer: Emma Stone was one of my first celebrity crushes. My heart was broken for her).

I digress.

But you know that feeling. All of you do. Because you’ve experienced it yourself before. Maybe not with La La Land, but I know there is a movie, song, poem, or book that you can easily think of that has left you in a similar state.

The beauty of art and media is that there’s no wrong path. There is no singular truth. It is entirely up to you. Your thoughts are right. Your emotions are true. What you liked and what you didn’t like are valid. And it is in the differences amongst one another that we can learn and think about things that we might not have noticed.

For example, I am not a fan of country music and superhero movies in the slightest. However, I have a countless number of friends who find the most joy and excitement through Zach Bryan’s discography or the Marvel universe. While I don’t feel the same way, I can’t help but feel an immense amount of joy in listening to them talk about their excitement. Some of my fondest memories related to art is just listening to my friend’s stories of how much something helped them through a difficult moment in their life or how it can provide them comfort thinking back to how they first fell in love with something

It is truly extraordinary how the work of another person can elicit such strong emotions from us. I think their ability to do it, and our ability as humans to do this with each other, is one of the most beautiful things that we can experience and offer to each other.

Art, or the expression of self, is such a fundamental aspect of humanity since its inception. Art is able to break down linguistic, cultural, and even political barriers. We see this historically in how different peoples communicated with each other, how civil movements can be driven and unified by a speech or a poster, or how we can better understand a culture by looking at art produced by people of that culture.

Another beautiful facet of art and media is how it allows the artist to take full ownership of the meaning of their work and the ways in which their underlying message is portrayed. They are able to deliver a message in a specific way, while also allowing the audience to draw our own conclusions from the art. It is in these conclusions, and the subsequent dialogue, where we can connect with each other and freely discuss our thoughts and emotions that are elicited by the art.

I’ve always been mesmerized by how artists, whether by the paint of a brush or a performance on a screen or words on a paper, are able to make us feel. We don’t just read or listen or watch. We are part of their work, entranced by emotions, waiting for what happens next as it is the singular most important thing in the world. Waiting as if we are part of the art itself. Not only does art enrich our minds and emotions, it brings us closer as humans.

So, my friends. Go to the movies or the museum. Find a song that you can’t stop listening to. Read a book that you can’t put down. Appreciate art and everything it does for us.