Close your eyes and imagine you’re 7 once again, you hear the birds chirping and feel the sun hitting your face, you feel like a cookie in the oven. You smell the fresh flowers of spring and smile, feeling the grass under your feet, you have a crayon: your favorite color crayon, and a blank white piece of paper. The possibilities are endless. What do you draw? You and your best friend? Your family and home? Well, whatever you drew is now a part of you, a part of your memories and experiences. All of us, or at least most have had some type of relationship with art.
So, why is it so important for everyone to have art in their lives in some way? Most think that through art, we can change our perspective on many conflicts and issues, expand our minds to endless possibilities, release the feelings that we have bottled up, and destress ourselves from the real world. Even research has shown that art is more than a simple task rather it is different ways people can view life as well as life issues. For example, An Oxford Scientist, Maya Shah,
states, “Exploring Art allows viewers to open their minds to different perspectives and encourages them to analyze deeper than at a superficial level.”
As well as researching the topic of art I asked fellow students what art means to them. One of the students I had the pleasure of asking was Sophmore Vianne Tenorio, this was her first year in an art class, but she told me how art has always been something very special to her. She described her first memory of art, and stated, “My first memory of art would probably be preschool. I’d go home basically every other day with a new art piece to proudly show off to my parents. They’ve always been some of my biggest supporters, even of my terrible preschool art. Having access to all those supplies added to my creativity and love of art.” Secondly, I asked her what art meant to her, she told me, “For me, art is so impactful because it serves as an outlet for both my creativity and feelings. It’s such a wonderful feeling to come up with new characters or concepts and be able to make them come to life. Expressing myself through art allows me to share my ideas/thoughts and adds a deeper enjoyment to my other interests (TV shows, movies, books, etc).”
Afterward, I asked another student of Mr. Heilemann, Freshman Zofia Mendoza is in her first year of art, what her first memory of art was, she said, “ The first memory I had with art was a painting my dad got me it was a painting of a forest, and it was very beautiful.” Later on, she told me that this memory impacted her view of art because although she and her father don’t have the best relationship this painting brought them together. Then, I asked her what art meant to her, and she said, “Art means so much to me because it empowers and inspires me to connect to the real world, I am a girl and person of color life hasn’t been as easy but when it comes to art I feel like I belong.”
I asked a couple more students who preferred not to be named they mentioned how art makes school more enjoyable for them. One of them said, “Art class is a safe space for me, my teacher Mr. Heilemann makes me feel heard, welcome, and safe. He has shown me that art is not just tracing something but rather a way to let out my true feelings.” Many students mentioned to me that their teacher has helped them gain a new perspective on art. Even students from different schools I asked about what art means to them. One student from Bassett mentioned that their earliest memory of art was watching cartoons and wishing to create something as magical as that. They told me that they honestly don’t know where they would be without art.
In conclusion, I have learned many things from each individual’s experiences I’ve listened to. Art is a new way and even an old classic way for someone to learn themselves. The way art makes some people feel can be a simple and caring thing.
What does art mean to you? Comment down below!
