Why Art is All about Emotion?

I can’t emphasize this enough: art is emotion. The delicacy of human emotion is captured in every art piece. There’s an emotionally untold story behind every artist’s work. I love talking about this topic so much because of how much it resonates with me. I find art to be an escape for the lost, the ones that find it hard to tell their story through words. I’m one of those people. Sometimes, stories are better told through lens, through strokes of paint, and ink sketches. I find myself reading through my own paintings and sketches all the time because I’m as confused as the viewer with the psychology of my brain. I think that is an emotion – never understanding where you stand. There’s too much gray area for me to decipher where I truly belong, emotionally. Questions circulate everyday as I try finding the answers to them in art.

1. Is it too emotional of a person to react in anger to situations that are triggering?

2. Why are we told to respond not react, when in fact we’re misunderstood people who only find it best to react in situations?

3. How do we find a line between emotional, and emotions?

4. Why are emotions perceived negatively in our community which praises logical responses all the time?

5. Don’t some situations require emotional intelligence, so why the apathy towards people who are emotional? Perhaps the emotional doesn’t know how to handle the emotion, shook by the madness in themselves?

I find it easier to say, “I just don’t know”. The more I dig deeper into this topic of emotion and art; I realize how complex human reactions are. It’s a combination of multiple factors that lead to the reactions people give; past experiences, current mental state, relationships, inferior and superior complexities, self-esteem, and spiritual well-being are among a few. What I think about the most is what if reactions could be made into art? Wouldn’t that be the most authentic form of art, the one lead by strong emotional experiences? What if we could turn anger into a sketch, and tell our story to others? I’m not saying that emotions are not a part of art these days. Every artist incorporates emotions into their work, but the concept of art therapy has been a recent addition. It gives the opportunity to communicate visually for those who don’t claim themselves to be artists. This form of communication allows us to release emotional energy into a visual form and allows us to understand the psychology of our minds. It’s like meditation; It allows individuals to re-evaluate their emotional stories. Art is a powerful tool to help individuals suffering from mental illnesses because emotions can very well be painted.