Why Art?

I have been working on several different projects lately that have been involved and stressful and all have been centered around my art practice. That sounds funny to me "art practice", am I a Doctor of Art? I don't have a PhD in it, I don't treat people for mental health or heal wounds, but I do consider it a practice. Art is my life, I spend most of my days thinking about art and how to build my home, life and hobbies around it. We are adding egress windows and one of the questions was what do we do with my art supplies while the project is going on?

Why is art important? I know why it is important to me. It gives me rest and stimulation at the same time, but why do we consider it important? Scientists judge evolution by a species creativity. If they decorate useful things or just decorate the world around them. It means they have the time to consider other things than survival.

Anthropologists look at art to tell the wealth of a society and also to see the way people lived because art records the history of the time. The fact that we create so much fantasy now means we have time to dream. The art of the pharos tells them that there was great wealth to be had but the way that it was used also tells them about those who didn't have any wealth at all.

Art helps heal people. The subconscious wants to speak and we sometimes have a hard time verbalizing the terrors we have survived. Once we draw it, we can start to talk about it. It can give us a safe place to speak and a safe place to put our mind. It can give us rest and relaxation. Most people do art to feel better without having to deal with a trauma. It uses a different part of our brain and creates endorphins so we feel happier.

Why art? We need it to help us cope and help us be. It gives us a place now to be happy and will help others later understand who we were thousands of years after we are gone. Art is history, joy, healing, peace. That is why art.