Art: the craft of simply being
Catalina Prieto
What comes into mind when you think of the word “art”? What do you envision? Is it a sculpture, a painting, or perhaps a sketch? You may even be thinking of your favorite poem as well. Art, however, is more than what we can see or grasp, transcending physical mediums and weaving its way into our everyday lives. It’s a form of self-expression, a way of being, and our unique forms of experiencing the external world.
In a traditional viewpoint, the term art is confined- limited to its understood meaning of physical creations including sketches, paintings, or sculptures. When you broaden this perspective, you may realize that art goes beyond its physical forms. It is intangible and limitless- from the way we speak, dance, demonstrate our love, and gesture our faces, to the unique framework of our minds and overall universal perception.
Art lives in the rhythm of our daily lives, in the clothes we choose, the music we immerse ourselves in, and the emotions those choices evoke.. It lies in the non-verbal communication of our natural movements.
"Three ways: mold, hold, and passage," by Anthony Gormley (1981)
When we choose to love somebody, we are using the raw material of our emotions to pour into our fostered connection. The way we choose to paint ourselves for the external world to see is a work of its own. We shape ourselves similar to how a potter molds their clay or how a sculptor carves stone, curating remarkable, innovative, and challenging thoughts and mental frameworks that reside in our minds.
Subtle forms of artistic expression give color to each moment, such as the sentiment in someone’s gaze, the inspiration acquired from a conversation with a close friend, or even the passion that fuels a single idea. Whenever we choose to structure or frame the way we communicate, we are creating a grand masterpiece which makes us distinctive.
“La Danse,” by Henri Matisse (1910)
To perceive art as only a tangible, physical form is to enclose its potential in a box. The traditional tools of art, such as a canvas, paintbrush, sewing needle, or fabric aren’t needed to create a grand masterpiece when we already possess these building blocks within us in the form of rhythm, movement, communication, and emotional expression.
Intertwined with our everyday world, our artistic way of being is an integral part of what it is to be human. I guess we can say that each one of us- with our asymmetry, saturation of emotion, subjectivity, proportions, and inner-outer contrasts- are crafts of our own and true works of art.
Strike Out,
Catalina Prieto
Catalina Prieto is an undergraduate psychology student at Florida International University and the author of her debut poetry book, "Transcend," published by Indie Earth Books. Writing on profound and contemplative subjects like human connection, the universe, nature, mental health, and recollections from her day-to-day observations is Catalina's passion. Catalina writes with a significant emphasis on organization and clarity, articulating her ideas in a way that strikes a balance between depth of analysis and creative insight. When Catalina isn't writing, she enjoys taking pictures, playing with watercolors, going to the gym to maintain her physical well-being, and meditating. She also has an intense fascination in movies, art, and the value of vintage clothing.
