Will and I were goofing around outside one afternoon as the weather was just starting to warm up and then suddenly he was shouting at me.
The first two paquerettes—tiny daisies with pink-tipped white petals around yellow centers—peeked their faces out from amidst the grass.
Will had spotted them, and his joy at the discovery echoed around the farm.
The way a six-year-old looks at spring coming is the perfect mini-model for how to look at art.
I’ve been talking a lot recently about how art—and specifically looking at and living with art—is a great tool for leading a more meaningful life.
So, how does that work?
It comes from discovering the art that speaks to us and then engaging with it.
If that sounds very vague and abstract to you, no worries. You just have to follow Will’s example.
1) Notice what you notice.
For Will, he picked out two teeny daisies amidst a whole field of grass, clover, and brambles.
In terms of looking at art, this starts by just getting exposure to things. Look at art in real life if you live in a place where you can or hop on the internet and make use of a good scroll.
Just move along and look. Whatever you’re not drawn to, skip past. There’s no right or wrong taste in art. There’s just what you like and what you don’t and everything in between. Figuring out what you like is the most fun and easy to start and the most useful if you want to collect art that nurtures you on a daily basis.
2) Notice why you notice it.
The daisies caught Will’s eye because they mean something bigger to him. Flowers are always fun because they’re colorful and ephemeral. On top of that, these two held special meaning because they were a sign of the seasons truly changing. Of a whole wave of flowers and sunshine and outdoor life to come that—let’s face it, he’d been waiting for for a while by then. Winter’s fun during first frost and when it snows (rarely around here), but by early March, the novelty has long since worn off.
We can apply the same thing to art. When something catches your eye, ask yourself what you like about it. This starts with what you like about the way it looks and also the story it tells for you. Art has meaning because it connects with the things we care about in the rest of our lives. So, look for the links.
3) Notice how it makes you feel.
Will’s joy poured out of him with a shout, and that kind of feeling is hard to miss.
Art can sometimes do that to you too. Make you laugh or, a lot of the time, make you cry. But sometimes the feelings it stirs up can be harder to put a finger on. Often the art that draws us in the most speaks to things we are missing or looking for in our lives. Which is a big reason why looking at art and living with art is so powerful.
It helps us feel what’s happening inside us and see what we feel more clearly. It can even help us work with all those crazy—and quite normal—feelings.
All you need is these three steps.
And, to make it easier, here’s five questions you can ask yourself as you go through the steps.
1) Do I like the color? Which color, or what kinds of colors?
2) Do I like the subject matter, i.e. what it’s about?
3) Do I like the composition—the way the shapes are organized?
4) What does it remind me of?
5) How does it make me feel? Name an emotion.
Combine the process of looking with these five questions, and you’ll know what you love about art in no time.
With that in mind, you can seek out art you love that anchors you and helps you create the life you want.
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