Art can be seen as something that surges through your body. The blood flowing through you is the swift ballet pirouettes and leaps across the stage. Your brain is a record player spinning melodies all day. Your fingers perform every note to pierce the silence. When your body is a natural art, creativity becomes second nature.

Whether it's through dance, design or music, the creativity of art allows us to relieve our emotions. The strong strokes of red on the canvas are not placed there randomly. The restrictive movements aren't because we're too shy to fully expose our talent. The deep strums on the guitar weren't an overstatement of the song. These are all purposeful because as art students we believe that expression can be portrayed in things other than speech.

“Art should be something that liberates your soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further.” – Keith Haring. These words ring true and will remain relevant for many generations to come. Art is incredibly important to society and provides an excellent outlet for expression. Art has weaved its way into the very foundations of our society and we see it everywhere, all around us. The world would be a desolate place without the joy artistic expression brings to us.

The mind is liberated by creativity in a way that makes it easier to absorb information. It frees the mind of ingrained thought patterns. Empathy is enabled by connecting with our inner selves. It unlocks the doors to our minds and hearts and reveals to us our innermost selves. This enables the recognition of individuality and uniqueness. It can aid in bringing what is already present within to the surface; inner qualities and capacities may show themselves. It enables us to pursue our interests. Participation in the arts fosters a sense of community. It promotes social interaction and the development of cooperative and collaborative abilities. Artistic interaction strengthens cross-cultural bonds while linking us to many subcultures and cultures.

Art has hundreds of different benefits that we unknowingly experience every day. Studies have found that visual art being displayed in public places makes people’s happiness increase and that music encourages healthy brain functions. Drama allows you to connect with people and develop social skills and dance ensures you stay fit. All these things are important to society and how we interact with the world. In reality, there are no barriers between the arts and real-life because art has found its way into every aspect of society. 

Written by Tayla Ryburn and Paige McOnie.