Art Is Magic. Art Is Love.

I prepared another blog post. Before I shared it, I came across a different set of words that I put together about three years ago. These words mean more to me today than they ever have. Below I describe what art is to me. Why it is a magic we all need and how we can share it. I’ll post the other entry, about my current studio pursuits, at a late date. This seemed more important today.

Art is an investment, there is no doubt about that. We all know dead artists names and a few living icons that reach a point where they have big salaries and lots of assistants. That is not the most common scenario. More commonly, artists are not celebrities. They are working people that are dedicated to their processes and evolving visions. If they are putting their art out for sale, they are doing so to feed their families and to make more art. With each sale or art placement, they are sharing themselves with the world, exposing themselves in an effort to connect.

When I say art is an investment I mean something different than it will offer a large financial return for you or your family down the road. Buying origial art means so much more than that. Art made by living, working, professionals is made with a focus and energy, a magic that cannot be experienced from any other source. That magic comes from a combination of labor, heart, and passion that exists as the life of the artist. It comes from real people living real lives, with major ups and downs, likely more than average in that department. Art comes from souls that are tapped into emotions that many people would like to ignore. It comes from people you know, not from a big box full of plastic & reproductions. Art isn't made in sweatshops or manufactured in bulk. It is crafted by hand in stolen corners of garages, basements, kitchens, warehouses, and unfinished spaces.

I say this because, you likely know an artist that works this way and feels this way. Putting yourself into the world is hard. You risk a range of emotions coming at you from all directions. If you know artists like this, support them now and continue to do so. They are taking risks that benefit the heart of our collective being.

Invest in heart. Invest in passionate humans. Don't sacrifice their passion to vapid, mass reproductions and corporate logos. Remember that art is an investment in yourself too. It is the way you can receive the love and energy artists are sending to you and yours. Living with art is a way to live with love.

This image is a visual representation of the magic I wrote about today. It includes so much of my only other real contribution to the world, My daughter. She shows me the magic I imagine everyday. She is best of me and 100% herself. We should all strive to be this authentic.

My Personal Mythologies series is a chronology of this energy and magic.