Art is ever-changing and flexible and constant and small and big and everything and nothing. Art is laughter and love and stories and… it’s complex and oh so simple all at once… Art is… existence. So why is there such an imprinted and irrational ideal that art is only understandable and accessible and “for” people who seemingly “get” or “do” art? When did this notion of exclusivity and division between the “artist” and “everyone else” deem itself the right way to go about living and experiencing the world.

First off, I want to declare that if you call yourself an artist, then it is in your theoretical “job description” to share said art and not diminish the opinion or presence of others because you don’t think they’re smart enough or have enough experience to voice how said art made them feel or think. Isn’t that the damn point? To get people of all backgrounds and experiences and upbringings and interests to view various creations and hear their reactions and responses and feedback.

Art can be just for the artists themselves and the audience is simply just there to observe, but it has never been about artists pleasing or creating solely for other artists. When art has witnesses, those witnesses shouldn’t and can’t be judged because who they are and what they bring to the table, regardless of whether they hold the label of “artist”, is valid and important and should be taken seriously.

Secondly, if you are one that doesn’t think art is “for you…” I’m here to tell you to throw this thought-process out the window. There’s no definition of what is and isn’t art, and also… hating something or not enjoying it is a valid response to have… but it’s important that you expose yourself to creations and artistic expressions because they induce reflection and joy and pain and grief and feeling that you didn’t think was possible. Art tells stories that everyone should see or hear or experience, and you shouldn’t put yourself in a box because you think that art means one thing and one thing alone.

I can promise that there is art out there that has been or is going to be created that you are capable of connecting to and gaining something from — especially on college campuses. The art communities found in university settings are made up of people our own age and of similar experience, thus it’s easier to relate and connect with the work they’re doing. It’s insane to me that schools, including James Madison University, have multimillion-dollar arts facilities that are homes for so many brilliant and kind and wonderful and warm student artists, and so much of the school’s population has no idea that a place like this even exists on the campus that we all share.

Art is for all. Art is dancing, singing, acting, writing, painting, drawing, sculpting, photographing, loving, speaking, fighting, hurting, talking, making, being. Art is yours, art is mine, art is ours. ALL of ours. So go out, spread your art, see more art, find the art that makes your soul smile and frown and cry and laugh and run, and get rid of the notion that we are divided because of art… because we should be and are united because of art.