Did you see the viral video of the artist painting a city electrical box get fussed at by a passerby who called his work a “waste of tax payer dollars”?
Aside from being beyond rude, this is just plain inaccurate.
Art:
lifts spirits
makes us happy
releases actual dopamine + endorphins
improves thinking and empathy
lowers stress
is life
It’s funny how so often things that are essential to life and well-being get little-to-no credit or acknowledgement as such. Things like:
art
beauty
community
empathy + a listening ear
self-care
friends
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. [Pablo Picasso]
Worth every fucking penny.
My friend works at a public school, and her own mother told her that it's a waste of taxpayer dollars to feed poor children lunch, because the kids just throw the food away. This woman hasn't stepped inside a school in 40 years. And instead of asking daughter if the kids throw away their lunch, she just "informed" her that they do. Very strange. It think it's a certain kind of Facebook boomer culture.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and can be debated endlessly. If art portrays a certain truth however, that truth is a fact and will resonate and work on the inner life (soul/spirit) of the beholder. Much 'art' is (desperate) entertainment for "wow" these days – monkey or elephant or pig making a painting is an extreme of that – but that entertainment 'art' does not bring truth. Truth sets us free. Spiritual truth.
The arts will find their renewal in healing. Truth is healing. Truth re-aligns.