Why Practice Art?

by Janet Lia owner and instructor of A.W.E. Studio, which offers Seattle art classes

Today you can find art classes popping up all over the place.  You might wonder what’s behind the popularity of all these art classes, and how you can find the one that’s right for you.  Certainly all art classes teach technique, but finding a class that’s supportive and brings out the student’s inner artist can be challenging.

Recently, while taking a mainstream art workshop, I was surprised when the teacher suggested that I start over.  I hesitated, because I was not yet finished.  He continued to tell me that the picture was unsalvageable and that starting over was my only recourse.

Since I always tell my art students in art classes at AWE Studio that something is to be learned by completing a piece, and that improvement comes from enduring our limitations, I decided to go on with the work anyway.  In the end, I improved the picture.  I felt satisfied that I had not given up, even if the final product was not the best art I ever produced.

In life, as in art, we make choices and try to carry out our intentions.  However, things do not always turn out as we would have liked them to, and we are constantly reminded of our limitations as well as our failures. We always have opportunities to learn and improve ourselves. If we are constantly trying to avoid discomfort when we do not like what we see, how can we expect to improve?

The same can be said of the feeling of wanting to start over with a fresh piece of paper, instead of seeing what we can do to learn and improve the situation.  We may be confronted with the same feeling the very next time we do art, but chances are good that it will become easier to accept what we do not like because we are learning to feel confident that we can transform it.

The artistic practice of transforming substance reflects our development as human beings, so that we may learn to grow.  The individual has the opportunity to use the art medium as a path of self development as well as for the joy of self expression.  To be successful at this requires objectivity about where one stands with the art, a will to continue and improve, and compassion together with admiration for one’s own development.

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