Why Art is Important

My background is in education, and let me tell you, education in America sucks. It's built like a business and focuses on the money instead of on the needs of the students, who are always the ones who suffer for it. When I was applying for teaching jobs, it was the time when schools decided to cut teaching English as foreign language because it was not needed (which is wrong, just wrong, how many students will fall through the cracks?). I never landed a permanent position (plenty of substitute jobs though).  To clarify, they wanted mainstream teachers to have an ESL license and called that good enough. Because you know, the 5 kids who don't speak English can just figure it out with the other 25 kids. 

My frustrations aside (and believe me, I could go on and on about the issues I faced and my kids faces), another subject that was on the chopping block was art. Because art was deemed unnecessary, or it just received the short end of the stick when it came to funds. I saw art and music teachers let go frequently. Sure, most of the time the excuse was, there is no money, but at some point, we lose so much of what is important in schools for kids. They stress the need for STEM, and I understand, those are incredibly important skills to have. Yet how many kids will fall through the cracks, how many kids will never feel success because their passion was taken away from them?

I had this conversation with an intellectual friend, one who's IQ is loads above mine, but he also saw no need for art. He understood it had a place in the world, but from a mathematical standpoint, he didn't particularly understand why it needed to be around.

And I think that's sad. Because art is so important to everything around us. We are a civilization built on art, don't you see? From architects, animators, writers, to designers, artists are everywhere. 

I am a creative, and for a long time, this creativity was stifled. It wasn't allowed; it wasn't necessary. I still have scars from how detrimental this was to me. Emotionally I was stifled, and I lost the ability to cognitively comprehend situations around me. Because I couldn't use the emotions that also became stifled with the creativity. 

Aside from just how helpful art is for stress relief (I mean we all use video games, movies, TV, etc. to relax to some extent), it is an outlet for many kids and adults. It is in fact possibly the only outlet they have. So to take that away, it does irrevocable harm. 

This discussion arose in class, and everyone made good points. Illustration has adapted to the culture and times around it. There was a time where illustrators painted paintings, then moved onto newspaper prints, then to magazines, book covers, and so on until we reached the modern age of technology. Illustration has fought for its place in the world and has succeeded every time. No doubt that art won't lose out even today. It will push on even as some may fight to get rid of it. But my professor made the most eloquent thing on the importance of art, and this is what I'll close with. He said:

"We live in a designed and decorated world.

The ignorant claim that 'we don't need art to live.'

Actually, we do, never more so than now. We don't live in a "natural world." For better and worse, we live in a designed, built and decorated world called civilization. It is designed by designers (sometimes synonymous with "artist), built by engineers, and decorated by artists of all kinds. We've been doing it for a long time.

Some have tried to do without the art - or only real bad art - only to discover that people couldn't stand it.

QED - we do need art to live together, and perhaps to give us reasons for living at all."