Meaningful art: Do artists speak through their work?

For artists, creating something is a very personal experience. They conceive an idea and then actively work to bring life to that idea in the best possible way so they can create meaningful art. From painting landscapes, to creating complex sculptures, artists pay attention to the tiniest details and lot of thought goes into every brush stroke. But as the artists create their art, there is another thought that’s constantly in their mind; what will the viewer think of it?

When you start creating something, naturally you have a vision of what you want that piece to look like and what you want the other person to perceive from it. Whether the other person forms their own analysis of it or gets what the artist is trying to convey is a different story. This week we asked our followers on our Instagram (@artstoheartsproject) to tell us what they want people to feel or think when they see their art, and more importantly, how do they make that happen.

Artists on creating meaningful art

As an artist, you might be all too familiar with that feeling yourself. We all want our audience to take away something from our meaningful art and to be a different person than the one they were before they laid eyes upon it. Our artist community had some amazing responses to our question of the week, so let’s check out some of them!

This is perhaps the most common feeling everything artist must have had at some point, to convey their feelings. You can be in any mood as you create art. You can be happy, sad, angry, or you can create something after feeling inspired. As a creative and an artist, you will do your level best to translate that feeling into that canvas or piece of art that you are making. It will serve as a medium for you to let out your inner feelings and to hope that the next person to see will feel what you were feeling at the time.

If you have ever painted a landscape, or even looked at one, you will appreciate that it has an otherworldly beauty to it. Who doesn’t like a good scenery? Landscape photographers try to capture the beauty they see from their eyes, so that the viewer can visit that place from the comfort of their bed.

A painter will conceive a scene, it can be a real or a figment of their imagination, but s/he will make sure to create something that can transport you to that place for a few seconds. For @christinagouldsboroughart, it’s important to create a sense of depth that can make the viewer feel like they can walk into the painting, and honestly, we can’t say no to that sort of experience!

@sheilakernanartist raises a very interesting point, that audience is the final part of the process. And it’s true when you think about it, because while you can spend hours on an artwork, and give it your all, it is when another set of eyes looks at it and give the art their own meaning.

While you can hope to create a certain meaning and convey a certain story, ultimately, it will be up to the viewer to decide what they take away from it considering their own experiences and feelings. To make sure that she gives her best, @sheilakernanartist concentrates on creating amazing textures and compositions, and then enjoys the next stage which is to listen to other people’s interpretation of her meaningful art.

We can’t disagree with these responses, as ultimately art is meant to give off some positive vibes. If your art can make someone feel a sense of joy, you will also experience a sense of excitement and joy. In a world where lives have become stressful and busy, giving people something that can make them appreciate life and feel connected is truly a gift, and each artists is bestowed with it!

Some artists want nothing more than to have other people give their own meaning to their art. While you can create something with a certain idea in your mind, it’s always interesting to see what other people view it as. You are one person, who has had limited experiences that centered around your life. But how exciting and fascinating it is to have multiple point of views on what your art says to other people, and what does it speak. We recommend that if you have not had experience before, do ask other people on what meaning they give to your art, it would be wholesome!

Here are some of the other responses we received!

And finally, if your art can bring a ray of light, hope, and sunshine into someone’s life, you must consider your job done. To have your art be the beauty in darkness is one of the greatest compliments you can receive, and in the end, that is what meaningful art does; it provides the viewer of endless possibilities to think about and imagine!

As you work on your next artwork, think about these responses and ruminate over how you want people to think about your art, and if you actively put effort into making sure that it does happen. An art is a collection of experiences. First, it takes those experiences from you, and then, your audience adds to it their own distinct experience, making it something truly magnificent!