Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

What is Art?

By Michelle Kathleen


What is art? I took an academic class in junior college once that covered this topic for the entire year. Our earnest Professor spent each class covering the various views people hold regarding how art is defined. Being the art guru that I was and still am, I was entirely pulled into this question and wanted I desperately wanted to know the answer to this question.

How is art properly defined? Is it formalism, functionalism, expressionism, impressionism or one of the tons of other isms out there! Does the creator of a work of art decide the arts meaning for does the viewer decide its meaning? Does art have to mean anything? Can a couch, a toilet or some other seemingly random object be considered art? How about police pictures of crime scenes... although such photos were not created with the intention of being art, some people see them as being art.

What the hell is art? Eagerly, I sat in class three times a week trying to answer that question and waiting for the answer from our professor. Each class I internally debated the newest view of art we were taught, to see if I agreed with that view or not. Sadly, I must confess that often I went home and wrote down my thoughts in my art journal as I tumbled with this seemingly easy question.

I fully admit that I'm a dork and that this question about art really bothered me for thirteen weeks while in that Philosophy of Art class in the little town of Stillwater, OK, home to Oklahoma State University. So much so, that I started actually wearing my contacts to class so that I could better read my textbook and the board, rather than my usual squint and guessing routine that employed for my other classes.

Fast-forward to my final day in class. In my seat as upright and eager as any student can be found, I wait... wait for the Professor to finally hand out the answer to this fourteen week question that has plagued our class and fogged our minds. As my Professor speaks I look around at my fellow classmates at anticipation that we all will finally know the answer to the question... What is art? And yet, I find only blank, uninterested gazes.... is it possible that no one cares! I quickly scan the crowd once more and yes, it's true no one cares... save me! And then it happens...

The bell sounded and the Professor dismisses us for the last time... hold the phone! I still don't know the answer! And maybe that's the point. So, if anyone does know please feel free to let me in on it, because until then I'm still wondering; What is art?




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