WID 4/18/16 : If I had to grade myself, I would give myself a 75 in content

and clarity of my main goal, to convince you to go do something creative.

Though I lack a couple solid paragraphs of more information and credibility,
the thesis is mostly here.
Sophie Clyburn
UWRT2
4/7/16
Why should you care about art?
Regardless of which level of art we discuss (or argue about), one thing is very
clear. Art has existed as long as humans have, so it clearly "comes with the territory".
Some of us make it. But all of us use it, in one way or another. Because we need it.
What would our world look like without art? Its a bit to hard to imagine
because its everywhere isnt it? Allow me to explain. The buildings we spend
our lives in are created by architecture: the process and product of planning,
designing, and constructing physical structures. The average person can
probably tell you that it is a form of art, because its been designed and
created. Key words. Art encompasses creating. Art is an expression of
human existence. defined by Amy Hendrickson, who double majored in
Art History and Psychology. Since we are all humans, and we all have the
means of expressing ourselves, then we must technically all be able to make
art in some way, shape, or form.
Dr. Lawrence, a leader in neuron regeneration research, found that it
wasnt brain cells dying that led to mental decline, but rather the decline in

communication between them. To combat the loss of communication, many

recommend participating in an artistic endeavor. Unlike popular
misconception, making any type of art requires the use of both hemispheres
of the brain. So you dont have to be right brain dominant to make/design
something. Art is universal as well as something that differentiates us from
other animals. My point is everyone should use their creativity during their
lifetimes because it only has advantages.
Think about your time as a child and how much art you made in
elementary and middle school. It was required so even though you might not
have been particularly keen on the subject, you still created things. Time
goes on and you get to choose more of your classes, but science and maths
are prized for being the most academic so therefore you take those classes.
Did you know that if you would have taken an extra art/creative class, that
you would have had a possible significant increase in the rest of your
academic performance? A report from the 70s recorded the academic results
of children who had the addition of a creative class and those who didnt.
Guess which ones came out on top?
The reasoning behind the better performance is the notion that
creative classes enhance problem solving skills and help create more wellrounded students. Musical training, another form of art, has been proven to
aid children immensely. The strong predictive effect of training duration
suggests that instrumental music training may enhance auditory
discrimination, fine motor skills, vocabulary, and nonverbal reasoning.

(Winner 26). **There are many other studies that focus on other art forms
and their beneficial effects.
There are some who discredit the function and positivity of art, of
course. I found much of this negative feedback on the subject of modern art
and how it has destroyed the once glorious position of art. These people
generally mean the splatter paint canvases and the chaotic nature of new
music genres; it doesnt please these people and with this disgust, they rant
on the internet on how art has failed us and so on. Other anti-art bloggers
tell about how the Puritans condemned art and thought all visual/auditory
decor and beauty was vain. We have to understand that we arent in the
17th century and aesthetic is a massive part of our culture and society. In
fact, all the people writing anti-art content are creating as they rage! They
are expressing themselves and that like I said, is the most basic
explanation/definition of art.
I want to convince you that you should go a little out of your comfort
zone , if you arent an artsy person and create something, participate in an
art form. Whether it be dancing, strumming the guitar, painting, reciting
poetry, and the countless other forms, do it and reap the benefits of being a
human with an imagination.

When you think about art, you may immediately associate it only with the
famous fine arts such as a Greek style sculpture or a Monet impression. I
want to redefine art as something that ranges in outcomes, some

aesthetically pleasing and others interesting or stange expression. Metal rock

is shunned by some, but it is an art form just as much as the ancient cave
paintings found in the Lascaux caves in France. Splatter paint and many
modern styles are also not given the same respect as the Mona Lisa for
example, but art appreciation is objective and this is something that we
should always keep in mind. The point is dont discredit human expression
even if it doesnt appeal to you.

Art is the one activity of man where he can make himself most sure of being a conditioner, the one
capability of man where he has to reckon least with conditions, where he is able to show that he can
change things around as he wants to, where things (color, sound, wood, etc.) become the slaves of
man and where they as things have the least to say--where man, more than at any other time, feels
himself to be the master. Through art man has the possibility of all this power over things

( Heinrich Blcher)

I don't know that anyone does completely without art, if we remember that music and dancing are art, as well as visual art. And we
see visual art in advertisements and in our places of religious worship and in constantly on the internet. The arts are so woven into

our existence that I'm not certain that "important" is the correct word. I think perhaps that "essential" is the word that is more
appropriate.

The arts travel with our humanity. They alway have, and I suspect, always will. They express parts of us that words are inadequate to
express and they bind us together in ways that we need. They operate on the level of the heart and the soul, and we cannot do
without them.

Art is self-expression Where art is outlawed, it bursts out at the seams Where art is suppressed, it flourishes Where art is
unexpected, even there it's discovered Where art is frowned upon, it bursts throughWhere art is encouraged, it declines

Where art is expected, it becomes uninspired

Where art is required, it ceases to be art,

because it then ceases to be self-expression

If art did not exist, self-expression would still exist.

Then art would exist, even where it did not.

It is not possible for art to not exist, where humans exist

Every culture ever known has included some form of art.

It's not so much that art is "important."

It's more that art will exist wherever humans exist.

Simply because humans cannot exist without expressing themselves.

Art is like religion.

Some think religion is a thing some humans do and others do not.

But religion is simply thought, as art is simply expressing thought.

All humans think.

Some groups of thought become categorized into an "organized religion."

Others do not.

It is not possible for one not to have a set of thoughts one holds most dear

Some forms of self-expression are recognized as art.

Others are not.

Photography was once denied as an art form

Digital art is now questioned as an art form

But as long as they are expressing thought, they are art forms