How contemporary art contributes to an art of living

Art is a permanent ferment. It has become a wonderful companion in the search for an art of living . In our contemporary Western societies, leisure has acquired its letters of nobility. Gone are the days when work was the only concern for fulfillment. Contemporary art becomes a leisure activity that can be organized and offers multiple reasons to improve one's knowledge and get to know oneself better . Art and well-being is a concept that is now part of our personal development tools.

Making your life aesthetic, making your life a work of art, this is our proposal.

Contemporary man is concerned about his quality of life. Personal development and self-knowledge have become popular and art can offer a lot in these areas. It can also contribute to treatment through art therapy , which is structured and inserted sustainably into the world of psychotherapists.

Creative leisure can also give us great satisfaction. Making objects with your hands is one of the pleasures of life that it would be a shame to hide.

Contemporary art, a new art of living

You like your life, but you would like to get away from your certainties, because you are aware that mysteries surround us. It is possible to improve the quality of your life, other than through an accumulation of goods and a frenzied consumption of leisure activities.

What if you looked at art in a new light?

Previously, the pleasures of art were the prerogative of the richest. Today, artistic practice is becoming more democratic. Acquiring an original work also becomes possible. Many artists offer all kinds of quality creations and at all prices. The online art gallery makes it possible to democratize access to a wide variety of works of art.

Like philosophy, the arts have this capacity to act on our lives. Painting, sculpture, photography are now more accessible, whether in their practices or through the contemplation of the works.

We often hear people say: “I don’t know anything about art.” It is a shame that this remark alienates many people from contemporary art. The weight of an era when only a wealthy elite reserved the pleasures of owning works of art still strikes people's minds.

But what is most detestable is the discourse of critics and curators who claim to know what is of quality or not. This intellectualism continues to be pernicious for all those who are eager for artistic emotion and who do not always dare to open the doors of galleries, or simply treat themselves by purchasing a work.

Yet this simple gesture can have surprisingly positive repercussions in life.

“The art of the privileged must become the art of the community. » The important thing is to have resolved this change technically and visually. Victor Vasarely

The aestheticization of one's life

The business world has long understood that one of the most profitable levers for commerce was to create aesthetic codes to promote its products.

Modern advertising was born. She established aestheticization as a founding principle.

Is the use of images based on aesthetic codes only linked to marketing in our contemporary societies?

The answer is no, because social sciences show us that it has always been at the heart of the definition of group identity. What relates to aesthetic stereotypes always determines a cohesion that could be called tribal. Belonging to a caste, a movement, political or social, the affirmation of a gender or an elite, are all reasons to differentiate yourself through apparent codes.

A new reality is intensifying in the Western model of life that the whole world is adopting. It is the advent of individuality. Most of the population lives in cities, or even large urban complexes. Everything is organized so that each household or each individual emancipates itself from traditional cultural codes as they existed in rural societies.

The result is that everyone feels a sense of freedom, of being king in their own little domain. Managing yourself on a material and spiritual level becomes a necessity for living your life well.

The decoration of our houses and our apartments is no longer incidental. From the simple pleasure of living in a pleasant environment, we move on to the pressing need to recharge our batteries. Art can be useful to us because it is a powerful creator of emotion and reflection. Moreover, among the countless artistic styles, there is definitely one that suits you.

Approaching contemporary art as a way and an art of living means expressing an identity that belongs only to you and which will express, better than grand speeches, what you are and what you want to become.

Self-awareness

No culture is orphaned by art. From time immemorial, men have created cave paintings and objects with no practical use other than being aesthetic. We have not invented anything with our current societies and contemporary art continues to play a pivotal role in human thought.

Self-knowledge begins with an awareness of our place in our immediate environment, then more broadly in the universe.

At the beginning, there is a questioning about oneself, about one's life and about the way of living. In mirror, our dreams, our desires for children are reflected in the face of time that passes.

Not missing out on the beautiful things in life at all costs can become a harmful obsession if you're not careful. The frenetic search for ever more satisfaction encourages us to overconsume life. We need regulatory elements and art is one of them.

The path to achieving better self-knowledge is not always easy. Furthermore, it turns out to be winding, because it first requires work on self-awareness. Then, when the desire for change becomes strong, then it is perhaps time to embark on a spiritual search.

Learning, understanding and accepting ourselves with kindness, these are the objectives we set for ourselves.

To achieve this, many levers are at our disposal. Art is one of these means. In its practice or through simple contemplation, it is a powerful tool for acting on our mind.

Note: for several years, museum visits have been offered by psychologists. Oriented towards meditation and discussion in front of works, they offer time for oneself, in connection with others.

The scope of possibility is immense when it comes to art. It's up to you to experiment!

If spirituality is important to you, do you know that many contemporary artists are inspired by the sacred in their works?

Here is an example from Aisté Jurgilaité , a Lithuanian artist:

If you are close to nature, some artists know how to capture the essence of life. This is the case for this Danish photographer Jacob Berghoef.

Care through art or art therapy

We now know that practicing an artistic activity can play a major role in the prevention of health problems and in the management of psychological disorders or illnesses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) took an interest in the issue and published a report on this theme in 2019, which confirms “the positive influence of art on mental and physical well-being”.

For a long time, philosophers like Aristotle had understood the benefit of using the power of art to purge one's emotions. Therapists know perfectly well that artistic practices have the ability to release stress and unsaid things. It is a way of expressing what cannot be expressed in words.

art therapy workshops , the goal is not to create works of art, but to work on the inner life by bringing out emotions. This is how traumas buried in the twists and turns of our brain sometimes surface. They are represented intuitively in the works. When highlighted, they then become easier to repair.

Pascal Manitoba is an artist aware of art therapy.

The artist shares his art during sessions for the benefit of people in difficulty. Sensitive to shamanism, he considers that art can heal souls and bodies.

Related themes:

The practice of art as a hobby.

Practicing art is a great way to express your individuality. The creative arts are now accessible to all budgets and offer a way to bring some spice into your life. Exploring artistic expression without spending too much time or money is now within everyone's reach.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no need to have studied fine arts to create works. In reality, the main pitfall is the fear of being ridiculed and being judged. It is precisely the challenge that is interesting, because it pushes back the limits that we thought were insurmountable. In this sense, artistic practice makes us progress in life through the mastery of a new skill.

When we practice a creative hobby, we put our hands to work. The mind then focuses on work and we forget our worries. Time seems to flow differently.

It is also a way of mobilizing new skills, oriented towards a very rewarding creative goal. We work for ourselves and by ourselves.

In addition, we leave the outside world, sometimes aggressive with its share of stress, obligations, frustration, for an activity close to meditation.

Creation first requires letting go, in order to free our consciousness from habitual thoughts. Then, we involve our body, and particularly the hands, in a process of practical realization. And finally, it is our mind that feeds on the beneficial effects of having succeeded in creating.

Being able to create an object allows us to see that we have unsuspected talents. It's a very good way to gain self-confidence.

What is true for purely manual artistic activity is also true for visits to contemporary art fairs, exhibitions or art galleries.

Organizing vacations or trips with a presence in art venues in mind is a constructive way to build your leisure time. There is general agreement that being around the art world quickly becomes addictive and provides great pleasure.

But beyond simple leisure, art has the ability to bring us closer to our contemporaries, because it carries a universal language.

Pierre Desenfant – Art4You

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