What is Art?

I believe art is a process of exploration, expression, and creation. There isn't a concrete definition for art but I believe that art does highlight all those concepts. Regardless of what media someone chooses to use there is always exploration in techniques and what is capable in the specific medium. From there they begin to express themselves using what they have gained from exploration and ultimately create a piece that they declare is finished. Although the definition of art depends on perspective, I feel those elements are a main part of art as a whole.

Artists are people who take today's standards and push them to extremes. This can range from ideas and concepts to different techniques and mediums. I feel an artist is one who creates but is constantly pushing standards along with themselves.

I believe art should be made for one's own pleasure. Creating art is almost an exploration of one's own strengths and weaknesses. You can learn so much about yourself through the process of creating art. Furthermore, the creation of art is just plain enjoyable.

Overall, art is hard to assess. Everyone has their own ideas and judgements about what makes a piece art. A lot of people are very subjective while other are more abstract. Some value colors while others value shape or form. I assess art by what it has to offer. I take what good I can see from a piece and assess it from there. If a piece has a beautifully formed figure I assess what works in that piece. If a piece is only comprised of colors or shapes I assess the success of the different colors and the use of shapes. It all depends on the piece and what it is bringing to the table.

~Huy Phan