Do you remember the question “Does art imitate life, or life imitate art?”

There are many ways to think about, interrupt, and otherwise ponder this question….

My thought or version of this question: “Does what we create affect who we will be or does who we are affect what we create?”  

Let us take the first one: “Does what we create affect who we are…..”

If we create beautiful, peaceful scenes, lovely, quite settings; art with joyful colors or happy paintings with people enjoying themselves – holiday pieces that show family having fun… spending time together.  Do we create that… because of “creating” that we will therefore subconsciously plant that happiness in our mind and therefore make that happen in our lives….  Or could we be subconsciously creating what we want, what we are looking for, what we are lacking in our life.  The philosophy of think positive and positive things will happen.  Look at the glass as being half full and not half empty.

Now, lets look at the second part of the thought “Does who we are affect what we create?” 

Are we creating and expressing who we truly are inside….  do we create what is real, what we experience in our lives.  Do we create happy and colorful paintings because that is who we are?  Does artist that create the dark side of life – dark colors, lots of black, skulls, etc. – mean that is who they are or who they want to be?

When you are creating, is it an expression of what we have or experience or is it an experience of what we want?  To we create to relax or to escape?   Is it the joy of creating, or the need to create?

Could it be a combination of both….. moods to be shared… whether we create for ourselves or whether we create to communicate with others.  To make them think, or to change their mood.   To get a reaction from them – whether positive or negative.  Whether to bring them joy, or make them feel sorrow.  Art in advertising is used to make us feel all kinds of things: hungry, unworthy, the “need” to own something that we just “cannot live” without it.

Art is an expression.  When you create you are baring your soul for the world to see.  Art is personal.  Art is objective.  so…..

Does art imitate life, or life imitate art?  What do you think?

Peace, Love & Joy!