Art is Good for the Soul

I believe in the magic of art. I believe there’s no better feeling than making something beautiful with your hands.

I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember. I was always the kid who could sit with just crayons and paper and be happy for hours. My mom would always hang my art on the refrigerator and in her cubicle at work, and I remember the feeling of pride I always got when I finished one of my “masterpieces.”

When I started middle school, art quickly became my favorite class. I loved being able to be creative and make something that was my own. The same holds true for my high school art classes. My junior year I decided to draw a picture I had of my grandparents in Niagara Falls where the whole family went on vacation that year. I wanted it to be perfect because I was going to give it them for Christmas. It took a really long time but I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, only several weeks before Christmas, I found out my Grandpa was diagnosed with brain cancer. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to cope with, and I know art really helped me through. I gave that drawing to them that Christmas and it has become my favorite piece of art I’ve ever created. My Grandma hung it in their kitchen for everyone to see where it still is today. That March after he passed away, it was hard to work on anything in school, especially art, but I think pushing myself to start new projects really helped me.

I believe that every child should have a chance to express themselves through art. Creativity is an awesome thing, and I think it’s amazing what can come from it. Everyone should be able to experience the kind of pride I know I feel after making something with my own hands. Art is everywhere. It doesn’t just have to be drawing or painting or sculpting. Art could be someone’s cooking or sewing or even building something as big as a house. Art is about making something beautiful with your hands.

It is also very important to appreciate other’s art. Sometimes it’s hard to understand some artwork; like that painting at the museum with just a rectangle on some brown paint. But just because I don’t understand, doesn’t mean I should put it down. Appreciating others art is just as important as creating your own.

Art is everywhere.

I believe in the magic of art. I believe there’s no better feeling than making something beautiful with you hands.