I have loved art probably since I was born. When I was a kid I loved drawing. When I was a teenager I added painting and photography to the mix. By the time I hit college photography had become my chosen medium but I kept the passion for analog art. I love how art as a whole can communicate across boundaries. It's an expression of our creativity as humans. It's an expression of our shared human experiences. I love how art is something we don't need words for.

Emotion

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about art is it's ability to convey emotion. Photography does a great job with this in its ability to capture genuine and experienced emotion. Through photography a person's emotions can be literally frozen and viewed over and over. But I also think about artists like painters or sculptors who convey feeling through their work. These artforms were around displaying the human experience for centuries before photography! I especially love old paintings with more than one person. I could stare at these for hours trying to look at each individuals face. The artist gives each one an emotion and story in the painting. It's amazing thinking about how much time, effort, and heart went into pieces like these.

A piece doesn't have to be showing a specific emotion for the viewer to feel something.

I took this picture at the Magic Kingdom in Florida several years ago. When I look at it I feel melancholy not only from the memory of being there but also from the attitude of the subjects and the colors in the photo. Someone else I showed this to once told me that the story seems to be people pressing forward despite the rain. That kind of interpretation can give a feeling of determination or perseverance. Others may see it and feel whimsical or somewhat uneasy from the reflections and ghostly appearance of the people in rain coats. So many people could feel so many different emotions, all from the

same photo!

Mutual Experience

The concept of individual interpretations or feelings towards a piece is my second favorite aspect of art. I love that people can experience both vastly different and similar things from one painting, image, or sculpture. In this way, I think art is something that bonds the human race. Despite language or cultural barriers I can look at an image, someone from the opposite end of the earth could look at the same image, and we could share something through that.

What about people who don't "get" art?

Not everyone is an art person. But I don't think that means every person can't experience art or take something away from it. My husband is a great example of this. He doesn't understand the meaning behind a lot art but when he looks at an image or a painting he still experiences a feeling or idea from the piece. That's where emotion ties in. I really believe that there is a kind of art for each person that's able to speak to their heart. It's not necessarily the same kind for every person so admittedly, mutual experience may be a general concept. Even if this idea only applies to a certain amount of people, I still think it's fundamentally cool that art can connect people in that way.

God's Creativity

My third and final favorite aspect of art is how God's creativity is reflected through it. According to Genesis 1:27 God created people in His image. That means that we reflect God. Humans were made to be like Him and in relationship with Him. What this means for art is that when we create something we're acting in a similar way to how God does as The Creator. I love looking at art and seeing the creativity God put into people to make things. I love seeing the beauty that people can create.

Another aspect I love about this is that God made each person unique. Consequently, each person's art is unique! There's different mediums like photography, painting, sculpting, and digital art. In each medium there's even further differences like studio or landscape photography or modern versus renaissance style paintings. Whatever the art style in whatever medium, it's all different and it reflects God in a different ways.

Ultimately, what I love about art is that it always points me back to God and how good He is. He is creative and He made us creative. I love using that creativity to serve others and reflect Jesus. I get to use my gifts and passion to preserve moments and create something beautiful.

As an artist, what could be better than that?