Reflections on art — Part 3 of 3
If art doesn't always solve problems and doesn't always pay off, then why do we keep making it? The answer, I think, is the most intimate of the three questions.
From the intangible to the tangible
We make art to capture our own interpretation of the world and of events. To express ourselves, to release emotions that otherwise find no way out. We make art to bring ideas from the intangible to the tangible: that unique moment in which we materialize what we're thinking through composition, color and material. It's simply wonderful.
Art keeps us present. It lets us tell and capture a story so it can remain in the world, even if it's just a small piece.
A release, a breath
Beyond any result, making art is an act of self-care. It's a space to let go, to process, to inhabit ourselves again. In a world that asks us to perform all the time, art is that refuge where you don't have to perform anything.
In my case: because it makes me happy
I'll be honest. In my case, I make art because, quite simply, it makes me happy.
Being able to spend a while focused on painting —without thinking about time, productivity or the value I add— gives me peace. It gives me a breath. It brings me back to feeling human again.
And I think that is, in the end, the best reason of all. There's no need to justify it beyond that.
If any of my pieces makes you feel even a little bit of that same peace, then it has already fulfilled its purpose. I invite you to explore them and find the one that brings you back to feeling like yourself.
This was the final part of the series “Reflections on art.” Thank you for reading.