Wk 13 — Essay 2 — Art!

What is art? At the beginning of the semester I had a very simplistic view on art; I thought it was everything. Everything is art and nothing is art. I believed that art could be anything and that its meaning is based solely on whoever is viewing it. As the semester continued, however, my understanding on the concept of art has deepened and my ideas about art have changed. Currently, I believe anything and everything can be art as long as it was done by a human. It is my belief now that art is exclusive to humans and it is a form of expression of our human skills and ideas. This semester has also shown me some of the intricacies of art, primarily place and its influence on people’s culture, identity, and values which they express in their art. This class has expanded my ideas of art for the better and I will use my experience to apply it to my work and personal life.

I am currently a junior majoring in chemical engineering. I decided this path as I found a love for mathematics, chemistry, and physics in high school and that chemical engineering offers numerous jobs in different fields and pays very well. As of now, I still do not know what industry I want to work in but have several options in mind. My top choices include the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, and the energy industry but I am open to work in any field to start off my career. No matter the choice, there are numerous ways art and design can be used in my major. The main use art has in chemical engineering is its use in creating schematic diagrams for the numerous instruments and systems created in my major. Many of the chemical reactions we create use a variety of machinery and chemicals meaning that the process can be very complex. Without a schematic diagram, understanding the process would be quite messy and complicated. By understanding art and how to make sleek and simple designs, a chemical engineer can create a schematic diagram that shows the entire process in a clear and concise manner. Additionally, the design aspect of art can be used when creating scripts and programs that run the machines. For example, in my chemical engineering lab I use a program called LabView to create scripts that control different instruments including pumps, gauges, fans, and measurement devices. In the program, I have to connect wires to different types of controls that either receive information and signals or send them out. By using my design skills, I can make a clean script with no intersecting wires so that anyone can understand what my script does. Overall, art and design have a valuable role in my major and career as a chemical engineer.

Outside of school and work, art has had an influential part of my personal life. Art has always been enjoyable for me since elementary school; I have even taken art classes as a child. I found pleasure in drawing different things and it was a good way to spend my time. It sparked my creativity and gave me a goal of constant improvement as I continued drawing. While I no longer draw as much as I wish, I have gradually taken up the hobby again. I am currently experimenting with digital art using a drawing tablet I bought as I believe drawing digitally has many conveniences to it. Although my digital art is not as good as my art using pencils and papers, it has caused me to go over the basics of art which will help me improve my artworks no matter the mediums I use. I believe that art can help make me a more complete human being. It has helped me relieve my stress and express my emotions; it has also taught me several valuable skills such as patience, focus, discipline, and being able to take criticism. All in all, art has made a meaningful impact on my life that gives me joy in doing it and has taught me many things that I still use today.

I believe that art matters greatly as it is one of the aspects that makes us human. Art acts as a form of communication that transcends any type of verbal or written language. It can universally communicate an idea or emotion no matter the time or setting. That is why if art where to suddenly vanish today the world would be put into chaos and humanity surely would face ruin. People would lose their creativity and the world would become an expressionless place. Music, dance, theater, and literature would disappear; everything from buildings and cars to the labels on food in a supermarket would be gone. While it is possible that humans would still be able to eat, reproduce, and survive for a while, they no longer have a culture nor the generational knowledge kept though art meaning that humanity would be doomed to repeat the same mistakes and eventually die out. Art is an essential component in what it means to be human and we must keep teaching future generations its significance if we want humanity to survive and thrive.

I disagree with the slogan “a great nation deserves great art”. While the slogan was most likely created with well intentions, there appears to be a dark undertone on how the government should influence art. There is no one agreed version of a great government or great art so who is to say that the society and art we have now is not great. Art should not be made with the sole function of being great and instead be whatever it needs to be at the moment, whether it be praising or criticizing the nation. Otherwise, the government would control all forms of art and change it to what they consider great, which would most likely be art praising the government and creating a façade of a well-loved and flourishing nation. This can be already seen in some countries such as North Korea where they have numerous statues and paintings worshiping their dictator and portraying their nation as a paradise while in reality being far from it. In the end it is my belief that art should not be restricted by the government and should be allowed to take any form and message no matter if it is considered great or not by the nation.

In conclusion, this semester has been very memorable, and this class has broadened my perspective on art. From learning the different art styles and mediums of numerous artists to exploring the concepts of place, I have learned how to create and express my own ideas through the artwork I create. I have learned the significance that art has in my personal life and how I can apply my art skills to my career as a chemical engineer. From here on out, I will continue to experiment with my art mainly using my drawing tablet and improve on my design skills for when I create diagrams in my work. Overall, this class has been a meaningful and fun experience that I will cherish for years to come.