Art — A Way of Being Human
Thinking about art may bring to mind the works of famous painters, sculptors, poets, actors, dancers, musicians or composers. It is true that these people had mastered the way of expressing the notion of art in a manner that connected with the people all over the world. However, each of these famed expressions is essentially an outcome of a certain way of doing things. Art is not confined to a certain role or profession, nor does it fit within a small set of actions. It can be and is manifested in infinite forms ― ranging from the simplest of acts like preparing a delicious meal or having a conversation with someone, to the grandest of events like the aurora in the Arctic or the formation of sand dunes in the Sahara. Art finds its expressions in actions that make us feel self-fulfilled while being engaged in them and which also benefit the people around us, like a gardener taking care of his saplings or a passionate teacher working hard to inspire her students to learn about the world around them. A seemingly mundane act could become a form of art, if done in a certain manner.
Art is a way of bringing together the numerous fragments of your imagination idling in different corners of the mind, amalgamating them with curiosity and enthusiasm and then watching them materialize into something that can be perceived by our senses, something that can take us beyond their purview and make us feel a little more alive and inspired.
Like all profound truths in the universe, the primary obstacle to art is Ignorance.
Art is something that is felt by a beating heart. A robot or a machine may classify or analyze a piece of art just like any other physical object, but can it ever be truly moved by it? Whether it is the creator engaged in the process or the admirer witnessing the finished work, the power to wonder at, to really adore and be inspired by art belongs to us conscious human beings. Even those who have surpassed human life and are only preserved in memory do not have that privilege. Thus, in its own way, art is a beautiful reflection of the most evident truth about living — Life itself. You don’t necessarily have to be an 'artist' to understand this truth. In fact, your social identity or status can never act as a barrier to your affinity towards art. Every human being has the innate ability to appreciate art as it transcends the boundaries of race, religion, caste, gender, nationality or profession. You just have to be alive and conscious!
