Sometimes the song on the radio speaks to you on a level so intimate that it reduces you to pure silence as you take in the words. Sometimes a piece of art has an aura that draws you in, standing still as other people in the gallery pass you by. Sometimes a shoe is so beautiful you can't help but take it home, and sometimes a dish is so full of the flavors you most love that you take your time spooning every bite into your mouth.
Paintings, clothes, music, poetry, nature, scents, films, jewelry, interior spaces, food, architecture, sculptures — they're all art, but why is it that certain art forms and certain art pieces speak to us on a deeper level? It's part of human nature to connect with the world surrounding us, and as we connect, we find a collection of colors, textures and shapes that especially draw our subconscious in. Our inner artist connects to specific snapshots of what we see, hear, feel and taste. You can see this manifest itself through how someone decorates their personal spaces (rooms, apartments, houses and even gardens), what type of clothes someone decides to wear and even the art style they gravitate toward the most. The question is, how do you find your own personal taste? The love you have for what is beautiful to you, something that transcends material possessions but goes on that deeper level to what makes you feel connected and inspired. The first step is to determine what things and experiences make you happy. This can be as simple as making a list of things you like: walking your dog during sunset, eating ice cream on a hot summer day, sitting under the shade of a great tree, listening to a perfect pop song in your car with your windows down, etc. Now think, what it is about those experiences that you like? Do you like the colors of the sky during sunset? Do you like the refreshing feeling of ice cream and sitting under cool shade? Do you like the specific melodies of pop songs? The most important part of step one is determining what it is that you like of these experiences of things — this way, you'll be able to much better branch out and find other things you like based on the 'why'. The second step is a bit more mathematic and less theoretical — think about the shapes, angles and amount of sharpness you like to see in visual art (this includes fashion and architecture/interior design). I've found this to be most useful when figuring out what type of paintings and clothes I like. For example, I find myself drawn to very structured clothes with clearly defined shapes and contours on them — I like the sleek, elegant yet simple look it gives my outfits. The same goes for paintings, I like the technique of chiaroscuro because there is such a sharp contrast between colors and clearly defined lines within the subjects of the artwork. If you like softer shapes, you might gravitate toward impressionist painters and their works, or you might gravitate toward puffed sleeves and loose dresses. Think about what visual arts draw you in and how their lines and shapes are defined. The third step is to think about colors. You might be someone who appreciates a good artwork no matter the color, but you will almost always gravitate toward a specific color palette that brings you joy or inspiration or peace. This is why we choose our favorite colors, or why certain colors promote a calm state of mind or suppress hunger. The psychology of colors is real and used by brands when marketing new products to consumers, so it might be difficult at first to cut off our own social condition of what a color represents and what it makes our inner selves feel. However, think about the colors you see in nature or in your own home, and try to figure out which ones draw you in. If you connect with the color blue and orange, look up all their different shades and pick out your favorites. This will put you in the path of identifying that subconscious emotion the color makes you feel, and why you feel drawn to it. Once you figure that out, you can implement that own color scheme to your own art or personal spaces, as well as finding other things that make you feel the same way that you can introduce to your daily life. The fourth, and final step of this article, is to make time to make art yourself. It doesn't matter what type of art it is, whether you're painting or sketching or writing or making music or making a collage — get creating and see what comes out. Try to push yourself out of your comfort zone too; if you usually paint, try taking a pottery class, and if you write, try your hand at creating a collage using anything you can find. The surest way to find what your subconscious connects with is to see what you, as an artist and creative individual, create. There's many ways that you can find what type of art heals your inner self, and these are only a few of them. I hope they provided you some guidance to go on a journey of self-discovery, because, after all, the art that connects with us tells us more about our own subconscious spirit than anything else can.
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