Why I Appreciate Art!

Wow! Where do I start? I feel like I have learned SO much. I think if we all take a look back at all of our blog entries we can see how far we really have come and how much we have learned. I never thought that just because I was enrolled in an art appreciation course that that was actually going to make me appreciate art more. When I was signing up for classes I just saw that it was an online course that would be a fun and was probably a pretty easy elective. I looked up Michelle on ratemyprofessor.com and she had good reviews and the class fit into my schedule, so I signed up.

Now I am sitting here typing this blog entry and I am glad that I did sign up. For the most part, I had a lot of fun. I say "for the most part" because tests and homework aren't exactly my hobbies, but this class had a lot more than that that made everything manageable and enjoyable. I really liked going to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. I got to bring my girlfriend and some of my family and we had a good time. I really liked viewing the beautiful art in person. I like the convenience of an online class, but you usually don't get to do anything hands-on and you can easily lose a lot of the learning experience. In this class we got to go on a field trip, watch podcasts, listen to announcements, blog our thoughts and reflections, discuss the topics on a voicethread and discussion board, and we even got to make a little collage and do some other creative assignments. Michelle really used an array of learning tools to help make this class enjoyable.

I don't think I am going to major in art, but I do want it to be a part of my life. I think it is beautiful and it is a great way to express yourself. It would make for a great hobby if nothing else. I think visiting museums is a great activity and it is calm, relaxing, and neat to look at all the beautiful works. I respect those that have natural and/or acquired talent and share it with the rest of us. I now know a lot more about the different forms of art and the processes involved in creating them. I know for a fact that after taking this class that wherever I go I am going to be much more aware of the beauty all around me. I find art fascinating and I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility of taking an art history or studio art class in the future. This has been a fun class adn I wouldn't mind taking another art class, esecially if Michelle is teaching it and I'm not saying that to kiss up! You can tell that she really cares about her students and puts the time and effort into her classes that is required in order for all of us to get the most out of being here.

Like many of you, I'm really excited for the semester to be over so I can enjoy the holidays, but it is going to be weird not logging onto blogger and blackboard every week.

I wish all of you fellow bloggers the best and have a happy holiday season!

Matt

What is an Artist?

An artist, in my opinion, is anybody that is successful in expressing themselves. This can be accomplished in countless ways. You can't put a limit on or confine art because that would contradict what art is all about. I would say as far as society is concerned "an artist" is somebody who does art professionally and demonstrates exceptional skill in one or more forms. You may be a painter, drawer, sculptor, architect, designer, photographer, actor, musician, dancer, performer, etc. There are so many different areas of art that you can explore and develop. That is what makes it beautiful. You have so much to choose from and if you still can't find your niche, then you can combine different forms of art or even create something completely new.

I think somebody knows if they are an artist if they are able to demonstrate exceptional skill in any of the many forms of art. I think everybody has the potential to be an artist, but many of us never find our niche. I think a lot of the time people try a couple different forms of art and if they don't demonstrate a natural talent and they aren't willing to put in the extra work to become skilled, and then they just give up and say that they aren't artistic. If you are one of those kinds of people that is fine...I'm right there with you : ). However, I have enjoyed being an "art appreciator" the past 15 weeks or so.

I think society has mixed feelings about art and artists in general. I know I kind of did. There is a wide range of people in every society. We live in a capitalist society where a lot of times art is considered inferior to other studies such as business, economics, marketing, medicine, law, etc. Some people think that art isn’t life changing or of any importance at all. Art is regarded as being a hobby and people don’t think that an artist is a respectable, fulfilling, lucrative profession. You have your artistic extremes and everybody else falls somewhere in between. There are painting, drawing, sculpting, gallery visiting, and art appreciating fanatics and then there are people who can't tell a pencil from a paintbrush and maybe could care less. I am not either, so I, like many of you, fall somewhere in the middle.

I feel that it is important to have art in your life. Even if we don't always realize it, we are exposed to beautiful art every day from our houses that we live in, to the cars that we drive, to the clothes that we wear, to the music we listen to, and what we see on television. Art is all around us. We can see, hear, touch, taste, and even smell art. Art is a wonderful thing that we so often take for granted. I know that before I took this class I was a lot more naïve about art and what it meant to be an artist. I had no idea that there were so many different forms of art let alone anything about the intricate processes that can be involved. We should all be more understanding of art and artists and more open and aware of our artistic surroundings.