2/25/15
Art is an important activity of daily life. A mean for self-expression and confidence, discovery and positive creation. To make art with your hands is a positive, non-violent expression of self. Imagination and creative problem solving are imperative to everyday life experiences. Making art is a way of seeing, feeling and experiencing the world in a range of colors, textures, shapes and forms that build complex thoughts.
Art is not just important for young children and underprivileged teens. We need to stop thinking of art education and instruction – art therapy even – as being just for children and the mentally impaired. The tools to express oneself are imperative to building self-confidence and functioning to your full potential in the community. It’s more then just an art market and a monetary business; it’s an important part of cultural nourishment and individual expression.
It’s hard-wired in our brains to desire acceptance and understanding, and a validation of our individual feelings. I am valid in how I feel and the experiences I have, and I express those thoughts and ideas through my art, as a positive form of madness. I feel as though making art is being in a state of absolute insanity, in which boundaries are endless and no idea goes unexplored. The combination of physical involvement with materials and intellectual problem solving and further engagement, is the recipe for evocative work. It is within the confines of both the heart and the mind that we create the most compelling work, and thus the most engaging conversation with each other and the world.
Kal L. Cloonan 