Every now and then, an artist comes along that makes you stop and stare. You could be walking through a museum. You could be walking through a book store. You could be visiting an art gallery. Or in Keith Haring's case, walking down the streets of New York mesmerized by the graffiti.

Art serves a purpose in most people's lives. Whether that art takes the form of a song, book, live show, or painting, it's impossible to ignore. It's even harder to live without. There's always some form of identification we feel when that particular artist transfixes us. So it should come as no surprise that when Keith Haring saw the graffiti art in New York, he didn't just identify with the art. He found his community within the artists themselves and found a place he belonged.

It was the recognition Haring had been searching for since his days as a young boy growing up in Kutztown, PA. Haring's father was an amateur cartoonist and influenced his son's love of art. He moved to New York City in 1978 and attended the School of Visual Arts, where he studied painting. He became well known by the art he would draw on blank advertisement spaces in the Subway stations. Haring was arrested on some occasions, since it was technically illegal. He became known as a "graffiti artist." Today, this is what most kids would call "going viral."

Haring didn't want to be defined by the graffiti artist title, though. He sold his paintings for large amounts of money to collectors. He also painted murals for the public to view for free all around the world. Haring also opened the Pop Shop, where he sold everything from t-shirts to key chains to notebooks with his art on it. Even though this was criticized by some in the art world for "selling out," this further kept with Haring's core value. This value was that art should be available to everyone. It shouldn't matter your age, income, or background. Since Haring was aware of the important role art played in his life, he wanted to make sure everyone had access to it just the same.

Haring soon found himself surrounded by a talented group of friends, who were also fellow artists. His inner-circle included everyone from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Futura 2000, Kenny Scharf, and even Madonna. The person Haring was arguably most excited to have in his group of friends, however, was Andy Warhol. Warhol was cited by Haring many times as an influence. He certainly paved the way for the kind of pop art Haring was making. Haring, however, had a style all his own as well as a very distinct mood.

The mood was a mixture of childlike innocence with very real adult subject matter. I identify with the combination so much because of its humor and its declaration that every person is multifaceted. Even though I feel like a big kid in so many ways, I'm very much an adult. I also think the juxtaposition allowed the social issues and provocative topics to shine through in a way that felt human. It didn't feel shocking. It didn't feel controversial. It didn't feel like he was trying to hit anyone over the head. It was presented in a very real way. I think this caused more people to warm up to the change he was trying to affect, and the wheels were then set in motion.

Some examples of this would be his "Crack Is Wack" mural, which dealt with drug use and addiction. The "Ignorance = Fear" piece was promoting the group ACT UP, which was helping to fight AIDS. Haring himself had AIDS and created several pieces which encouraged the practice of safe sex. He also used his platform to encourage AIDS research and educate people on the facts. At the time, education was key because very few people knew the truth about the disease. It might be hard to remember a time of such ignorance. After all, today we hear talk of PrEP and the treatments for HIV allow patients to live a long, healthy life.

Haring was also openly gay and reflected his sexuality in much of his work. My personal favorite piece of his is the mural he titled "One Upon A Time." It is located in the former men's bathroom at the LGBT Community Center in New York City. It features very direct and explicit depictions of gay sex. Much of Haring's work featured sex attached to a darker topic. This was mostly because of the AIDS epidemic. The threat of the disease was so prevalent at that time.

However, in this piece, all of those fears and horrors are thrown out the window. There's a freedom and celebration in the piece that resonates with me. I've always been very happy about my own sexuality and never saw sex as something to be ashamed of. It's a very important part of who I am. I've visited the mural twice as of late. The first time I went was a very special experience. There's something very different about visiting a mural rather than a painting in a museum. This one was particularly unique because it was done on the walls of a bathroom. Not only was I viewing Haring's art, but I was standing in the room where he painted it. I'm not kidding when I say I felt an otherworldly energy at that moment.

Haring passed away on February 16, 1990 due to AIDS-related complications. He was only 31 years old, but left behind an incredible legacy of work that impacted so many lives. Haring supported education and worked with high school kids on various projects. He created pieces for children's hospitals and founded the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989. The foundation's main objective is to provide funding to AIDS organizations and children's programs.

Keith Haring was the artist that made me stop and stare. I found my own sense of self reflected through his work. His art is difficult to ignore and hard to live without. The unique style he crafted made it impossible for other artists to reference without appearing like copycats. Art definitely serves a purpose in most people's lives and Keith Haring's art certainly serves a purpose in mine.