The Influence of Art in My Life

My set-up for the end of the semester design showings!

I've had such a strong desire to write about this, but I just haven't gotten around to it. This is a bit different than the posts I usually do, but I just had to share. The influence of art is so amazingly prominent in my life. Recently, I came to the realization that art really brings people together and cultivates interactions that may not have happened otherwise. On two different occasions, I was doing some drawing assignments for my drawing class in my favorite little coffee shop, and I had people come up to me and compliment my artwork. In my head, I was wondering how these people were so amazed with something that I was just doing as an assignment (probably last minute too), but these little compliments turned into full fledged conversations both times. I feel that I am a generally shy person who usually keeps to themself, especially in a coffee shop... but in these moments I felt completely free and open to talk!

My final drawing for my drawing class! In this picture, it was still in progress, but it's the most recent picture I have of it! It was a conversation starter when I was working on it in the coffee shop!

These experiences led me to think about how much of an impact art has had on my life. And when I say art, I mean everything from drawings to music, and sewing to dance. Art has given me an outlet to express my feelings and ideas in a way that cannot be expressed through words. Art has given me like minded friends, and friends who challenge me to go beyond my comfort zone and experiment with new techniques. Art has given me some of the most the most intriguing and deep conversations I've ever had. Art has given me relief from anxiety, stress, and tension. Art has given me many things, and no doubt, things I haven't even realized yet. 

One of the projects for my drawing class! A woman came up to me in the coffee shop and wanted to buy it!

With this realization of my passion for art, I started to think about how I can use this passion to positively impact the world and the people around me. Everyone wants to make a difference. Everyone has different passions, different interests, different stories. Maybe I want to start a company like Tom's shoes, where I donate an article of clothing for every garment sold! Maybe I want to make art to bring attention to important causes around the world! Even if I made something that just caused one person to smile, I would be happy. My beliefs are that if you have a passion, if you are truly talented or skilled in something, you shouldn't just keep such a gift to yourself. It's such a powerful thing to have, and with such power, you can impact so many lives! 

Anyways, that's all I have for now! Before I go though, I wanna leave you with three questions: How has art influenced your life? What is your passion? How can you use that to make a difference? Feel free to comment, or just think about it to yourself! Have a fabulous day lovelies and thank you for reading!

XO, Lauren