Art comes in many forms. There are paintings, songs, books, shows both televised and live, and more. Theoretically, anything can be art and the beauty of art is that it can find ways to speak to you on such a personal level. The best part is the individual message each person finds within the same piece of art. Those messages can hit you at different times in your life or not make sense until you've met the right people.
Before recently, I could watch or listen to things which dealt with a drawn out death without an issue, but that changed after my grandfather died. Now pieces dealing with death after a long life move me because as I've grown, my ability to relate to those who understand that odd bittersweetness of missing a person who deserved the right to move on has changed.
The songs about nights of staying out late with friends who make you laugh so hard you can't breathe, they mean so much more to me now that I have a group of friends who I go out with consistently. I now understand the quote from the book The Perks of Being A Wallflower "In that moment, I swear we were infinite." After eighteen years of my life, I've finally experienced that moment when I looked around at my friends in the snow and felt each moment could last forever.
I would never have been able to identify these moments without the production of artists who've felt the same things in similar situations. There is a universal nature of art which is ignored by many. Art, in all forms, should be taught in schools because it connects people to the world as a whole and can help people process emotions outside their own experience.
Art has the ability to make a statement about the conditions of the world and make people think about issues from different perspectives. Perspective is a fascinating component of art, and it's a part I experience and benefit from when performing in shows. The work of a playwright gives me access to the experiences people from all walks of life and from different times. I find so much compassion for those who would not normally earn my compassion because of their presentation in the theatre.
Art can teach one so much about themselves. Reading, performing, and listening to different forms of art has taught me so much about who I am and who I strive to be. As I grow and mature, I know some pieces I am exposed to now will affect me more, and some works which speak to me now will not have such a great impact in ten years or so. Hopefully, everyone opens themselves to the opportunity to be touched by some form of art in their lives because art has completely changed mine.
